Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi admitted Democrats are “not even close” to impeaching President Trump.
The California Democrat addressed impeachment and other question about Trump in sometimes rambling replies to CNN’s Manu Raju on Tuesday during the Fiscal Summit in Washington hosted by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
(Video:CNN)
Pelosi seemed visibly frustrated by the direction of the questions, often seeming to contradict her own statements. But on the direct question of impeachment, the Democrat was clear – in a still vague way.
“It’s not even close in our caucus,” she told Raju.
“Why are we speculating on hypotheticals?” she asked. “What we’re doing is winning in court. We won a victory getting the documents from the Justice Department today for fear of further going to court.”
And while she didn’t rule out impeachment, which she has been under pressure to pursue by rank-and-file Democrats and leaders.
“It’s not off the table,” she said, adding, “I don’t think you should impeach for political reasons and I don’t think you should not impeach for political reasons.”
Pelosi just now with @mkraju on impeachment: “It’s not off the table. I don’t think you should impeach for political reasons, but I also don’t think you should NOT impeach for political reasons.”
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) June 11, 2019
“It’s not about politics,” Pelosi said. “It’s not about Democrats and Republicans. It’s not about partisanship. It’s about patriotism to our country. It’s upholding the Constitution of the United States.”
Pelosi, who served in Congress during the impeachment process for former President Bill Clinton, has warned that moving forward with efforts to impeach President Trump will only tear the nation part.
“There is nothing as divisive in our country, in my view, than impeachment,” she said Tuesday, although she reportedly recently told Democrats that she would rather see Trump “in prison.”
“If you really believe the president may have committed crimes in office, isn’t it your obligation to mount an impeachment inquiry?” Raju asked the speaker.
“My obligation is to do whatever we do in the most effective way possible,” she replied, noting that Robert Mueller’s report “very clearly spells out, at least 10 or 11 instances of obstruction of justice.”
But Pelosi quickly noted “I’m not here to have that discussion. That’s for the committees.”
If Nancy Pelosi wants to take this bizarre stance where she refuses to discuss impeachment (or even defend the wild statements she makes behind closed doors) she needs to designate someone in Dem leadership who can and will.
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) June 11, 2019
She apparently tired of Raju’s line of questions, appearing frustrated as he stayed on the topic of Trump and his calling her “nasty” and “vindictive.”
“I’m done with him. I don’t even want to talk about him,” says @SpeakerPelosi referencing Trump lashing out at her in Normandy.
“My stock goes up every time he attacks me. What can I say?” https://t.co/1vtUeTBGne pic.twitter.com/s2s2rEzhON
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) June 11, 2019
“I’m done with him! I don’t even want to talk about him … It’s a waste of time,” she said, after referring to Trump as the “diverter-in-chief.”
“My stock goes up every time he attacks me,” Pelosi added, growing frustrated with Raju’s persistent questioning as he asked her about the prison comments she had reportedly made.
Pelosi seems to be bristling a bit that @mkraju is asking newsy questions instead of her policy priorities
— Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) June 11, 2019
“I’m not going to that place,” she said, declaring that she was there to speak about issues like jobs, infrastructure and health care. “If I had been invited to talk about the president, I would have had more important work to do at home. Really.”
Toward the end of the interview time Raju asked Pelosi about the administration’s new trade deal with Mexico.
“How did a policy issue slip in there?” Pelosi joked.
(Video: YouTube/Peter G. Peterson Foundation)
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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