House Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn’t concerned about Democrats losing the House over their recently launched impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, Pelosi reiterated her point that the president and his administration participated in a “cover-up of a cover-up” based on a whistleblower’s allegations that the White House attempted to conceal a record of a call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and the administration’s handling of the complaint.
.@SpeakerPelosi: “I think right now, there’s a cover-up of the cover-up.” #TribFest19 https://t.co/365pEc5z9p pic.twitter.com/Jsi35ObwIc
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 29, 2019
On Tuesday, she announced a formal impeachment inquiry into the matter amid the revelation that the president urged the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden, the former vice president and his potential 2020 general election rival, and the White House’s acknowledgment that the transcript of the call was stored on a separate system reserved for highly sensitive material.
When asked if she is worried that impeachment proceedings could have a negative impact on Democrats’ ability to hold onto control of the House in 2020, the House speaker said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“Our first responsibility is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” she added.
.@evanasmith asks @SpeakerPelosi if she is worried about losing the U.S. House in 2020.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “Our first responsibility is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” #TribFest19 https://t.co/365pEc5z9p pic.twitter.com/JgO6u5tUIE
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 29, 2019
Pelosi also evoked the Founding Fathers and Thomas Paine to stress the importance of Congress checking the president’s power, citing Paine’s famous quote, “The times have found us.”
“The times have found us now,” she said. “If this … pattern of behavior were to prevail and the president continued to ignore that Article II does not say he can do whatever he wants, then it’s over for the republic. We will have the equivalent of a monarchy.”
.@SpeakerPelosi cites Thomas Paine, who once wrote: “The times have found us.”
She adds: “If this pattern were to prevail…then it’s over for the republic. We will have the equivalent of a monarchy.”
“The times have found us.”#TribFest19 https://t.co/365pEc5z9p pic.twitter.com/7LGGIDmKmL
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 29, 2019
While Democrats have indicated that impeachment hearings could begin as early as next week, President Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing on his part.
