House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday shot down calls for an impeachment inquiry or even a censure of President Trump.
She said fellow Democrats are free to call for impeachment, but the party is not fully on board.
“I don’t think you should have an inquiry unless you’re ready to impeach,” Mrs. Pelosi told reporters at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
The California Democrat said it’ll be time to impeach when investigations are no longer finding new information, and the public is on board to pressure Senate Republicans.
She also pushed back on calls from some, such as progressive Rep. Ro Khanna, to censure Mr. Trump rather than immediately moving to impeachment, arguing that doesn’t go far enough.
“I think censure is just a way out. If you want to go, you gotta go,” she said. “If the goods are there, you must impeach. Censure is nice, but it is not commensurate with the violations of the Constitution, should we decide that’s the way to go.”
Despite growing calls from rank-and-file Democrats for greater action, and apparent frustration from the base at the lack of movement, Mrs. Pelosi said the party is operating just fine with this divide.
“I feel no pressure from my members to do anything, and I have no pressure on them to do anything,” she said. “This isn’t about politics.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.