House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has long been heralded by Democrats and their allies in the media as some sort of master political strategist — but it looks like she’s just been knocked off her pedestal.
Breitbart‘s John Nolte wrote in a column Saturday that Pelosi’s failed attempt to impeach President Donald Trump proves that she is, in his words, an “idiot.”
“Even with my low opinion of her, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined she would botch this impeachment as badly as she did,” Nolte wrote of Pelosi’s unmitigated failure.
Nancy falls from her pedestal
Nolte pointed to seven distinct aspects of Pelosi’s impeachment effort that, in terms of strategy, left him utterly “baffled.” First and foremost was the fact that Pelosi and her fellow Democrats didn’t specify an actual crime that was committed for which Trump should be impeached.
Instead, Nolte wrote, “Pelosi impeached him for something that was not only not a crime, it wasn’t even unethical.”
They also failed to prove that a “quid pro quo” took place — but even if one had been proven, it wouldn’t have been a crime, either, according to the Breitbart columnist.
“It has been firmly established by 18 witnesses and thousands and thousands of documents that Ukraine did not know Trump had paused the aid package,” he wrote. “If the second party doesn’t know about the carrot, there can be no bribery.”
Pelosi’s baffling “strategy”
Another of Pelosi’s biggest failures in “strategy,” Nolte contended, was her rush to pass the articles of impeachment against Trump before the House’s Christmas recess.
That urgency compelled House Democrats to abandon court battles that could have resulted in their subpoenas for documents and testimony being upheld. Instead, the Dems were left with vague and half-finished articles based on unsubstantiated non-crimes; still, they hoisted them upon the Senate — after weeks of delay by the House speaker.
“Pelosi said her strategy in holding on to the impeachment articles for a month was to force [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell to agree to her terms on the Senate trial, but come on,” Nolte wrote Saturday. “[T]hat’s not a strategy, that’s a temper tantrum. Holding your breath while the other side enjoys watching you turn blue, is not a strategy.”
Indeed, Republicans never gave into Pelosi’s demands, and on Friday the Senate voted to dismiss a motion for additional testimony in its trial of Trump. With that, the proceedings are expected to wrap up this week, according to The New York Times.
Democrats’ “bungled” case
Before closing out his column, Nolte lamented Pelosi’s “terrible choice” of House impeachment managers, led by the likes of Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jerry Nadler (D-CA). Pelosi chose them to present the Dems’ case against Trump to the Senate, but it became clear by Friday evening that they, like Pelosi, had failed in their feat.
“The contrast was striking” between Trump’s “mature, thoughtful, well-prepared lawyers,” Nolte wrote, and Pelosi’s “smirking, hyper-partisan politicians.”
With that, the Breitbart writer concluded, “Madam Speaker the Master Strategist has stepped on every rake, bungled every opportunity, been her own worst enemy.” Her fall from grace has certainly been a sight to see.
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