‘I’m not for impeachment,’ Pelosi says, potentially roiling fellow Democrats
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview that she opposes moving to impeach President Trump even though she believes he is “unfit” for office — her first definitive statement on the subject and one that stands to alienate members of her own Democratic Party who are intent on ousting the president.
“I’m not for impeachment,” she said in a March 6 interview conducted for a future issue of The Washington Post Magazine.
“This is news,” she added. “I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”
Yet, Pelosi also said that she does not believe Trump is up for the job of running the country. Asked if he was fit to be president, she countered, “Are we talking ethically? Intellectually? Politically? What are we talking here?” When a reporter said all, she said he was not.
“All of the above. No. No. I don’t think he is,” she said. “I mean, ethically unfit. Intellectually unfit. Curiosity-wise unfit. No, I don’t think he’s fit to be president of the United States.”
The apparent contradiction shows that Pelosi is well aware of the political risks of impeachment and how pursuit of the president could energize Republicans voters ahead of the 2020 election. Still, her comments will almost certainly infuriate the far-left wing of the party, which has been clamoring to begin impeachment proceedings over controversies ensnaring the Trump administration.
Most House Democrats agree that they should give the chairmen of investigative committees the space to conduct their probes before engaging in serious impeachment discussions. But Pelosi’s suggestion that she doesn’t support those moves at all because “he’s just not worth it” won’t sit well with some in her caucus.
Pelosi’s comments come one week after the House Judiciary Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over impeachment proceedings, issued document requests to more than 80 people affiliated with Trump’s administration, campaign and businesses. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the committee, called the requests the first step in a larger probe into obstruction of justice and abuses of power by the president. Meanwhile, other committees in the House are beginning probes of campaign-time contributions that Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen made to silence women alleging affairs with the president as well as Trump’s plans to build a tower in Moscow and how he managed his private company.
For months, Pelosi has treated the possibility of Trump’s impeachment delicately, publicly noting the need for bipartisan support and significant evidence of wrongdoing before pursuing the president’s removal.
“If and when the time comes for impeachment, it will have to be something that has such a crescendo in a bipartisan way,” she said, for instance, in a CBS News interview in early January.
She echoed that bipartisan requirement in the Post interview. However, given congressional Republicans’ unwillingness to push back on their leader in the Oval Office over the past two years, some Democrats disagree with Pelosi’s assessment that any impeachment proceedings must have support from the GOP. House Democrats, they argue, have a job to do in holding the president accountable — regardless of the GOP’s stance on impeachment.
Pelosi has, at times, referenced the failed 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton by congressional Republicans as a formative experience in her thinking — an argument she renewed in the interview.
“There was no question that was that was horrible for the country. It was unnecessary and the rest,” she said. “But in terms of where we are, as Thomas Paine said, the times have found us. And the times have found us now. We have a very serious challenge to the Constitution of the United States in the president’s unconstitutional assault on the Constitution, on the first branch of government, the legislative branch . . . This is very serious for our country.”
Meanwhile, members of Pelosi’s caucus have been outspoken about their desire to impeach Trump. Earlier this month, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) marched on Capitol Hill with impeachment supporters, and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has discussed impeaching Trump in numerous interviews.
Two House Democrats, Reps. Al Green (Tex.) and Brad Sherman (Calif.), have already drafted articles of impeachment. Green moved in December 2017 to force the House to consider impeachment articles; the effort was killed on a 364-58 vote.
And outside the Capitol, liberal billionaire Tom Steyer has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars on an effort to impeach Trump, forming a group called Need to Impeach that has taken out television ads and constructed a grass-roots network to push the issue. Steyer has also vowed to target the chairmen of House panels investigating the president to ensure they do their job, as his organization has said.
“He’s brought us to the brink of nuclear war,” Steyer said in one nationally televised ad. “He’s obstructed justice at the FBI. And in direct violation of the Constitution, he’s taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth. If this is not a case for impeaching and removing a dangerous president, then what has our government become?”
Now this is gonna roil some serious folks - like Tlaib, Waters, Steyer, Green, Sherman - OK - the Dems.
Didn't roil me at all. You all assume much.
Pelosi has just enough political savvy to know that you don't roll the dice on impeachment, especially when it will be baseless & partisan. As far as the radical freshmen go, they will make this a two years and out for a democratic majority in the House.
Pelosi has just enough political savvy to know that you don't roll the dice on impeachment, especially when it will be baseless & partisan.
Correct. She is one of the smartest people in Congress.
If the Democrats were to proceed with Impeachment hearings at this point in time, most voters will perceive it to be "baseless & partisan". (As you correctly pointed out). It would hurt the Democrats in the next election.
In addition, it would be an exercise in futility-- if the House voted to impeach, the vote in the Senate to remove Trump from office would fail.
Trump would remain in office, and the Democrats would lose votes in the next elections.
If the Democrats were to proceed with Impeachment hearings at this point in time, most voters will perceive it to be "baseless & partisan". (As you correctly pointed out). It would hurt the Democrats in the next election.
Impeachment, at this time, would hurt only the democrats.
However, there are several investigations in the works-- aside from the Mueller Investigation, I believe there are some in progress or beginning in D.C., New York,and Virginia. After these conclude and the results are known, the Democrats might have much, much more evidence against Trump.
"The dream lives on"...
But then again, the nation clearly senses the nature of investigations into everything Trump and the discounting of everything "anti-Trump". Suppose a felony is discovered within Trump's old business dealings or we are only left with campaign finance violations, will it not still seem to be nothing more than a partisan prosecution? The optics are just as important with all the other investigations being launched. The dems may have already gone too far down this road.
No roil here. I agree with her. We have about 20 months then we get rid of him. It would take almost that long to impeach him.
It makes me feel so good to hear it! All that progressive tenacity defeated!
Viva La Trump!
I don't care if he vivas Vic. He's just an awful president.
In your opinion. For many of us, he gets another term!
I think I understand her logic. She probably thinks Trump will be easier to beat in the next election than Pence. After this last debacle she's probably scraping the bottom of the barrel for solutions.
What debacle?
Nope, she's got his balls in her pocket.
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Stay on topic and quit with the sexual crap.
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[Last warning.]
And in many cases of nasty or stupid replies, just ignore them.
I think impeachment would be a waste of time & money.
At this juncture I agree and as Ms. Pelosi pointed out the Nation (being us) is divided enough at this time, this would not only drive the wedge deeper but also give the whiner in chief more poor, poor me fodder.
Let the Mueller report conclude, allow the State of New York to have their turn and by the time 2020 rolls along he will be yesterdays news ( I believe ).
That is the way I see it.
So Wally, what factors did you consider when you decided that was the "most likely" thing to happen? Hmmmm?
This is all about getting ahead of the Mueller "bust." They've spent two years irresponsibly claiming Trump colluded with the Russians, is a Russian agent etc...and Mueller is going to say nothing of the sort. So they are are already conceding they won't impeach him to lessen the disappointment when Mueller's dud lands.
If the Democrats actually believed the claims their sheep have been making the last two years, they'd have impeached him the day Pelosi was installed as Speaker. They'd be traitors if they believed what they say about Trump and didn't try to remove him.
I don't know what evidence you've been looking at, but so far Mueller's investigation has brought a shitload of malfeasance by all kinds of Trump's cronies, and it isn't done yet. For the first time in 2 years we finally have real house investigations starting. I know, conservatives don't understand real investigations after all those years of Benghazi, but Trump has some real problems. Impeachment is likely warranted, but doubtful since the gop would move to protect him like they have since day one, the Trump party accepts anything now that Trump says and does. But the truth will come out with Mueller and congress, and the gop will not be able to stop the truth from coming out. (ps, probably best not to use the word traitor, that projection don't fly)
been looking at, but so far Mueller's investigation has brought a shitload of malfeasance by all kinds of Trump's cronies
Zero indictments claiming Trump, or any campaign official, colluded with the Russians to interfere in the 2016 election. Remember the point of the investigation?
Look at how quickly Democrats are trying to disappear their lies down the memory hole.
Unless Mueller has super secret evidence the's managed to hide from the Democrats in Congress, the democrats irresponsible conduct over the last two years attacking the President will have made Joe McCarthy look restrained and judicious by comparison.
Cronies maybe - Trump?? NONE.
It is unfortunate that MSM spread that unsubstantiated report across the Nation...that the FBI used the unsubstantiated report in the FISA courts...that people will believe every word of the unsubstantiated report until the day they die...because all of them will implode when the Mueller report is revealed. That is if the AG allows the 'report' to be revealed. If he does, I am sure that he will redact the names of innocent people not already raked through the crucifying media...or inquiring Congress.
Pelosi knows that there aren't any valid reasons to impeach Trump...other than partisanship and dislike, or HATE. We'll see how the newbies react to her statement.
Yep. Decades from now (assuming AOC doesn't turn us into Venezuela) when TDS has worn off, the real scandal of the era will recognized as the conduct of the Comey era FBI, becoming as political as the Praetorian guard, making and deposing emperors.
I doubt that will ever 'wear' off. It will be worn as a badge for decades to come.
Evidently the AG will allow the report to be revealed. There's already bidding wars for publication rights.
Uh, no. This is all about the reality that the Republicans in the Senate will not vote to remove Trump through impeachment no matter what the evidence is. Pelosi doesn't want to enter the election campaigns in the midst of a "doomed" impeachment process. If investigations of Trump reveal hard evidence that will be seen as perhaps convincing the GOP senators of his guilt I suspect Pelosi would be willing to reconsider her opinion of impeachment.
Donald Trump is a completely corrupt individual. He never should have gained support 3 1/2 years ago. It is a disgrace upon our nation that will last forever. But the reality is that his Republican party members are dependent on him for their own re-election and will not do their duty.
The only disgrace here is the childish behavior shown by many on the left and some on the right. To summarized:
1.) Many said Trump will never get elected
2.) Trump got legally and duly elected. AFAWK, no clear evidence has been found otherwise after a whole shitload of investigation manhours.
3.) Many spazed out when they were so wrong
4.) Sadly, many are still spazing out nearly three years later
5.) I'm still waiting for the people to leave, that said they were going to leave if he got elected. Many of the same ones said the same thing for Bush-2. They're all still here ....
If democrats believed half the stuff you claim about Trump, they have the moral obligation to impeach Trump and make the case for his removal.
But Democrats, at least the smart ones, know all the Russia collusion nonsense has been just that from the start. They've spent two years whipping their base into a hate fillled frenzy by falsely claiming Trump is a Russian plant, and the last thing they want is Trump to go away. To them, Trump is just a great fund raising tool they can raise millions of dollars of and unify the party in hate.
I strongly disagree here. By stating this you have determined that ALL Republican Senators will ignore evidence simply to 'stand by their man'. To the contrary...given sufficient evidence of an impeachable offense, they are bound by law to consider the evidence presented during a trial of impeachment. I believe strongly that they would carry out their duties in a non-partisan manner.
Pelosi is not for impeachment. Not because she has a newfound respect for the President, but because she knows that impeachment cannot proceed based simply on partisanship, dislike and HATE.
"This is news,” she added. “I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”
She's probably seen the "REAL" polls that aren't ever reported.
The Trump v. Hillary polls were a bust the Dems hung their hats on.
Guess what...…
Love comedy comments
You do well.
Yeah? The public pretty much knew that all of this was just political theater. That's why people aren't taking any of Democrat's hair-on-fire outrage very seriously.
The public generally understands that both sides in Congress are all talk and no walk. The liars in Congress being outraged over a lying President isn't news, that's just politics as usual. Pelosi's only concern is how to keep polishing the upholstery of the Speaker's chair. She's in it to win it for her own benefit.
Thank you.
“He’s brought us to the brink of nuclear war,” Steyer said in one nationally televised ad. “He’s obstructed justice at the FBI. And in direct violation of the Constitution, he’s taken money from foreign governments and threatened to shut down news organizations that report the truth."
What alternate universe is Steyer living in? Was there a Cuban missile crisis going on I missed? Last I checked Trump had every right to fire Comey and every good reason to. He's never threatened to shut down any news group that tells the truth or even ones like CNN that lie constantly for that matter.
The amount of money this idiot has spent trying to impeach Trump could've actually gone to good causes liberals claim to care about, like feeding hungry kids or paying off medical bills for the poor.
Just political theater to distract their useful idiots.
I see Trump is your man. You obviously know him very well.
Did he hurt you? This is a safe space...
Nope. You?