In the wake of a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, it seems all Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) wanted to talk about was impeaching and removing then-President Donald Trump. But now that the matter is finally headed for a trial in the Senate, Pelosi has reportedly indicated she’s done talking about it.
“We don’t have to defend why [the impeachment trial] is necessary,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference Thursday, according to the Daily Caller. “They [House impeachment managers] are going to be there to present the case…and we don’t have to talk about who is going to be there or not cause we just don’t know.”
Pelosi also reportedly lashed out at a journalist who asked about the possibility that Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, would call witnesses from the FBI to testify about whether Trump indeed “incited” what Democrats have characterized as an “insurrection” at the Capitol.
“Your question is a waste of time,” she snapped, as the Daily Caller reported.
“Democrats are in a box”
Democrats contend that Trump was responsible for the unrest on Jan. 6 that resulted in multiple deaths, including one Capitol Police officer. But most Senate Republicans seem to believe the effort against the former president is moot now that he’s no longer in the White House.
According to The Hill, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania were the only GOP senators to vote in favor of moving forward with the trial, with the other 45 Republicans in the upper chamber agreeing with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) that it’s unconstitutional to impeach a private citizen.
Speaking with Fox News on Monday, Graham, for his part, said he thinks “every Republican sees the House [impeachment] process as an affront to the presidency and due process,” according to the New York Post.
“The second impeachment of Donald Trump is not wearing well over time,” Graham declared, according to the Post. “Democrats are in a box.”
“Open up that can of worms”
As a reporter alluded to Pelosi on Thursday, Graham has also publicly said that he is willing to call FBI agents to appear at Trump’s Senate trial, and the South Carolina senator has warned that their testimony could cast doubt on allegations that the former president’s speech led to the riot.
“There’s mounting evidence that the people came to Washington preplanned the attack before the president ever spoke,” Graham told Fox on Monday.
“If you open up that can of worms, we’ll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people preplanned this attack and what happened with the security footprint of the Capitol,” the senator added. “You open up Pandora’s box if you call one witness.”
Fox reports that Trump’s second impeachment trial in the Senate is set to kick off next week.
The post Pelosi pushes back against reporters’ questions on impeachment: ‘Waste of time’ first appeared on Conservative Institute.
No comments: