Nancy Pelosi resorts to Stalinist photo technique

The minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, outspoken Democrat Nancy Pelosi, was unapologetic for an apparently photoshopped image that she shared on her Facebook page. Seeking to show all of her fellow female Democrats in the House, Pelosi's office digitally added several female members who had not been present for a group photograph.

Gaggles of smiling Democrat women were available for the January 3 photo-op, but some could not make it in time, including the Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz of Florida, who is also the chair of the Democratic National Committee. The photo included Reps. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) who, in addition to Wasserman Schultz, showed up late. Each of them were added to the photograph.

(Pelosi photoshoot before alteration)

Pelosi was unapologetic about the doctored photograph, which harkened to a time when Josef Stalin's Soviet government would systematically alter photographs and use airbrush techniques to eliminate the images of Stalin's former favorites and allies from photographs after they fallen into disgrace or executed by the blood thirsty regime. Said Pelosi, “It’s an accurate historical record of who the Democratic women of Congress are. It also is an accurate record that it was freezing cold and our members had been waiting a long time for everyone to arrive and that they had to get back into the building to greet constituents, family members, to get ready to go to the floor.” 

(Unaltered photo of Soviet leaders Vladimir I. Lenin and Leon Trotsky taken in 1917)

(Altered photo of Soviet leaders that appeared after the murder of Leon Trotsky)