Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that he supports impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
Speaking during a live interview with Bob Costa of the Washington Post, the 37-year-old South Bend, Ind., mayor said he would support House Democrats initiating the controversial proceedings.
“It’s very clear that the president deserves impeachment,” Buttigieg said. “And the case for impeachment is being built each passing day by the White House.”
Despite the comment, he said that it was “up to the House” to decide upon when or how to begin impeachment proceedings, joking about the power that Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who has not come out in support of impeachment — has over younger House Democrats who have been vocal in their calls to impeach Trump.
“I’ve learned, as a young Democrat, I’ve learned to think cautiously before offering advice to Nancy Pelosi,” he joked.
Buttigieg also touched on Rep. Justin Amash’s call for the president to be impeached. The Michigan representative is the first Republican to come out in support of the move. Buttigieg said that Amash was the “exception to prove the rule,” pointing out how Republicans have remained loyal to Trump after Amash’s statement.
He said that he thinks the best way to get Republicans to regain their “conscience” would be a strong Democratic victory in the 2020 elections.
“What really will matter most is the conscience of Republican senators,” he said, adding, “If anything is going to reunite them with their conscience in the long run, in my view, it is a decisive electoral defeat for Republicans in 2020.”
A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has Buttigieg at 6.3% support. Joe Biden leads the 23-candidate pack with 35% national support.
[Also read: Fox News’ Brit Hume: Buttigieg ‘most impressive’ candidate since Obama]
