House Democrats aren’t giving up on attempting to impeach President Trump, even though Speaker Nancy Pelosi all but dismissed it in an interview published Monday.
“I happen to disagree with that take,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told the Washington Examiner Monday night, responding to the Pelosi interview. “But you know, she’s the speaker. … I think we’ll see.”
Pelosi told the Washington Post she doesn’t support the House trying to impeach Trump. “He’s just not worth it,” the California Democrat said in the interview.
Pelosi’s comments contradict the views of many House Democrats who are eager to pursue a path to impeachment, either from the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe or new, broad House investigations that will examine Trump’s business dealings and potential conflicts of interest.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said her constituents are demanding that Congress investigate Trump and even attempt to remove him from office if the findings call for it.
Jayapal is definitely not abandoning impeachment, she told reporters.
“It’s not about whether or not it’s worth it,” Jayapal said. “It’s our obligation to the American people and the Constitution. That’s how I think about it.”
Jayapal said it’s too soon to decide Trump shouldn’t be impeached, in part because the House probe alone could take months. “We haven’t had done any investigation,” Jayapal said.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he did not interpret Pelosi’s comments to mean she is ruling out a vote to oust the president.
“I think we have to look at all the evidence in the report and where it will lead us, and not prejudge the issue,” Khanna said. ”I think she was making an off-the-cuff statement. I don’t think she was making a statement about Congress’ constitutional responsibility to look at evidence and look at where the hearings are. I think she even said it depends on what is in the reports.”
Ocasio-Cortez agreed that Pelosi’s impeachment views are not absolute.
Pelosi in many recent interviews has downplayed impeachment and said she wants House Democrats to focus on their agenda. Democrats will introduce bills to end pay discrimination and to legalize Dreamers in the coming days.
Pelosi has often said she is awaiting Mueller’s findings, Democrats said Monday.
“I wouldn’t say she’s completely concrete,” Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Examiner. “She’s always demonstrated leadership that takes all kinds of factors into account. Should the Mueller report drop and we see something, I wouldn’t count anything out.”
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who has served in the House for 10 years and whose state voted for Trump, agreed with Pelosi that it would not be worth it to pursue impeachment.
“I don’t think the country has the stomach for any more divisiveness,” Fudge told the Washington Examiner. “So if we can find a way to get through this term and do what we need to do to run the right candidate, to do what we believe can be done in terms of flipping the White House, that is where we should focus our efforts. I believe in winning.”
