Why Nancy Pelosi Photoshopped Some Congresswomen Into A Historic Photo

One explanation: it was really cold out.

On January 3, the Democratic women of the House posed for a photo together after newly elected Representatives were inauguarated.

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

It was widely circulated after appearing on Getty and other wire services. A record number of women — 80 — were elected to the House. Of them, 61 are Democrats.

But later, Nancy Pelosi posted a photo to her Flickr page.

Via Flickr: speakerpelosi

Can you spot the difference?

Four women were Photoshopped into the back of the photo!

Via Flickr: speakerpelosi

They included Reps. Yvette Clarke, Shelia Jackson Lee, Corrine Brown, and even Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Pelosi defended the photo. It was,she said, an "accurate record that it was freezing cold, and our members had been waiting a long time for everyone to arrive, and that I had to get back into the building to greet constituents."

In other words, it was cold, no one had coats, and people had stuff to do. By Photoshopping the four women in, all 61 female Congresswomen were included in the photo.

As CNN points out, the photo of the women who were added seems to have come from Rep. Yvette Clarke's (left) Facebook page.