Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Wednesday broke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggesting that she would consider supporting impeaching President Trump.
Warren, who spoke during an appearance on MSNBC, said lawmakers should wait for special counsel Robert Mueller’s report before deciding whether to impeach Trump, but she did not rule out support for impeachment.
“Here’s my rule on this one. We’re about to get the Mueller report, and we have a lot of other information. Let’s wait until we have the Mueller report, combine it with everything else we’ve seen, then we’ll know what to do,” Warren said when asked what she thinks Trump has done that is impeachable.
Pelosi set a higher bar, saying Monday that she does not support impeaching Trump unless there is “something compelling and overwhelming” and bipartisan support.
Sen. Warren on impeachment for President Trump: “Let’s all take a look at the Mueller report, and when the Mueller report comes, we’ll know exactly what to do.” pic.twitter.com/r4ZDw3eZgp
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 13, 2019
Lawmakers expect Mueller to finalize his report in the coming weeks on Russian interference and potential collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election. Some congressional Democrats have called on Mueller to make his report available to Congress and the public.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said in February that Congress should take action if Mueller’s report reveals serious offenses but stops short of indicting Trump.
“If it basically says, ‘Hey, we would have indicted Donald Trump for these offenses, but for the fact that there’s a policy memo saying we can’t,’ then I think Congress has to really look at these issues and decide what to do with whatever offenses the Robert Mueller investigation reveals,” Lieu said.
Some House Democrats continue to push for impeachment despite Pelosi’s opposition. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said Tuesday that she will still seek a vote on her impeachment resolution. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told the Washington Examiner on Monday, “I happen to disagree” with Pelosi.
Trump said in a tweet earlier Wednesday that he appreciated Pelosi’s comments about impeachment but emphasized that “everyone must remember the minor fact that I never did anything wrong.”
I greatly appreciate Nancy Pelosi’s statement against impeachment, but everyone must remember the minor fact that I never did anything wrong, the Economy and Unemployment are the best ever, Military and Vets are great – and many other successes! How do you impeach….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2019
Warren said later in the MSNBC interview that she is prepared to take on Trump in 2020.
“I am not afraid of anyone, and particularly not Donald Trump,” she said. “People have told me for most of my life what’s too hard to get done, and my response has always been to fight back.”
