Pelosi: Democrats Pushing Impeachment to Block Trump Being Elected Again
Democratic House speaker reveals motivation behind push to impeach the president
© press
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has revealed that a key motivator behind the Democrats' push to impeach President Donald Trump is to block him from being elected again in the future.
In a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday night, Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) said that Democrats are seeking to eliminate any chance Trump has of taking back the White House in four years.
The riot at the U.S. Capitol Building last week has quickly become one of Trump’s greatest challenges to his presidency.
Democrats and their allies in Big Tech and the media blame the president for the unrest that led to five deaths and dozens of arrests.
Speaking with Leslie Stahl during the "60 Minutes" interview, Pelosi discussed some of the possible outcomes for Trump and the possibility that he will be elected again in 2024.
Pelosi revealed that the prospect of Trump running for president again is one of the key motivations "that people have for advocating for impeachment."
© press
The speaker said that she prefers using the 25th Amendment "because it gets rid of him."
"But there is strong support in the Congress for impeaching the president a second time," she said.
"This president is guilty of inciting insurrection.
"He has to pay a price for that."
Pelosi referred to the president in a letter to colleagues as an "imminent threat" to both the U.S. Constitution and democracy.
In the letter Sunday, Pelosi said the House will act with "great solemnity" with less than two weeks remaining before Trump is set to leave office.
"In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both," she said.
"The horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action."
WATCH:
When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some made their way to Speaker Pelosi’s office. In a recording from one of Speaker Pelosi’s staffers, the invaders are heard banging on a door her staff had barricaded while they hid under a table. https://t.co/CNmQcAs9av pic.twitter.com/ymt3CI0hHi
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 11, 2021
The House action could start as soon as Monday as pressure increases on Trump to step aside.
A Republican senator, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, joined Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in calling for Trump to "resign and go away as soon as possible."
On Monday, Pelosi’s leadership team will seek a vote on a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence and Cabinet officials to invoke the 25th Amendment, with a full House vote expected on Tuesday.
Donald Trump willfully incited his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol and disrupt the peaceful transition of power. He must be impeached and removed. The Articles of Impeachment we drafted with @RepCicilline and @RepRaskin now has over 150 cosponsors. pic.twitter.com/zjk6i0Wcf4
— Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) January 8, 2021
After that, Pence and the Cabinet would have 24 hours to act before the House would move toward impeachment.
Pelosi told "60 Minutes" that nothing is off the table.
She also recalled the chaos in the Capitol when protesters breached the building.
She said that she was at the podium on the House floor and Capitol Police pulled her aside.
She said she told them that she wanted to be there, and they said, "Well, no, you have to leave."
She said there was some back and forth but she eventually agreed.
Pelosi called the breach at the Capitol a "terrible violation" and blamed the president for his role.
© press
The political fallout from the riot seemed to cast serious doubt on Trump's future as leader of the Republican Party.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican, addressed the Senate after the riot last week, saying Trump has been a "consequential" president over four years in office "but today ... count me out. Enough is enough."
But the president attracted seven million more votes than any sitting president in history last November.
In early December, Trump allegedly told supporters at a White House holiday party that it was an "amazing four years."
"We are trying to do another four years," he said, two sources reportedly told Fox News.
"Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years."
