Update – Nancy Pelosi is formally nominated to be the next Speaker of the House. She is expected to win any possible challenge.
Just nominated on the House Floor @NancyPelosi as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. @HouseDemocrats are down with NDP! pic.twitter.com/9PjWRAOV8C
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) January 3, 2019
BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi has the votes to become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for the #116thCongress #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/BA67FEdSHo
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) January 3, 2019
Original article:
Presumptive Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refused to rule out presidential impeachment and indictment in a nationally-syndicated interview the morning before assuming power.
Pelosi refuses to rule out Trump impeachment
Pelosi was asked in an interview on “Today” if she agreed with the Department of Justice guidelines that hold that a sitting president cannot be indicted. (RELATED: Schiff Calls on DOJ to Rewrite Rules Prohibiting a Sitting President From Being Indicted.) She answered with equivocation: “No, I do not.”
When she was pressed on impeachment and whether or not her Democrat caucus would seek removing President Trump from power over any damning Mueller findings, Pelosi indicated she was open to the prospect: “We have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report. We shouldn’t be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn’t avoid impeachment for a political reason. So we’ll just have to see how it comes,”
“Do you believe the special counsel should honor and observe the DOJ guidance that states a sitting president cannot be indicted?” –@savannahguthrie
“I do not think that that is conclusive. No, I do not.” –@NancyPelosi pic.twitter.com/Kyxy5SYCiY
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 3, 2019
Nancy Pelosi says she won’t rule out indictment, impeachment for Trump https://t.co/GVAU9pR3Pp
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 3, 2019
You were warned about impeachment
Well, there you have it, folks. You were warned that if Democrats took control in Congress, impeachment was a serious possibility. Pelosi herself even indicated as much. (RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Announces Impeachment Plans Should Democrats Take Back the House.)
Pelosi was far from the only Democrat to warn that impeachment was coming. Incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler signaled that he’d start impeachment proceedings if Mueller finds any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and foreign actors. (RELATED: Nadler Floats Impeachment, Says New Mueller Revelations Could Justify Removing Trump.)
Why Democrats love hinting at Trump’s impeachment
Democrats are playing it smart here. They know their base wants nothing more than to mercilessly toss Trump from office. Some of the more vocal members of the House Democratic caucus, such as Maxine Waters, are actually calling for Trump’s immediate removal from office. (RELATED: Maxine Waters Calls for President Trump’s Impeachment at AIDS Walk.)
Pelosi knows she has to keep the rabble-rousing Democrats in her caucus together if she wants to accomplish anything substantive. So she’ll entertain impeachment wishes. The question is: will she ultimately act on them?
If Pelosi wants to cling to power in the end, she may not have a choice but to give in to the mob that makes up her own caucus.