House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday the House will vote to hold Trump officials in contempt of Congress, but she defended her slower approach to impeachment, saying much of the country doesn’t understand the process.
The California Democrat also pushed back on reports of divisions within her caucus as rank-and-file Democrats increasingly join calls to begin impeachment proceedings.
“I see in some metropolitan journals or on TV that we are trying to find our way and are unsure. Make no mistake: We know exactly what path we are on. We know exactly what actions we need to take,” Mrs. Pelosi told reporters. “There is no controversy.”
The speaker has long urged her lawmakers to take a slower path, saying impeaching President Trump without having the votes to convict him in the GOP-led Senate would be futile. And she said there’s a misunderstanding in the country that impeachment means removal from office.
“They think that you get impeached, you’re gone, and that’s completely not true,” she said. “You get impeached, and it’s an indictment.”
Mrs. Pelosi said that’s all the more reason why Democrats need to build their strongest case possible before pulling the trigger on impeachment — though she acknowledged her approach will take a longer time than some of her members would like.
“I respect their impatience,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s important to our country.”
Mrs. Pelosi declined to take a stand on whether the House should demand that former special counsel Robert Mueller testify about his probe into Mr. Trump as part of Democrats’ groundwork for possible impeachment.
House Democrats are still considering bringing Mr. Mueller to testify before the Judiciary Committee, a move Mrs. Pelosi supports, as they see him to be a key piece in deciding their path on impeachment.
She said she would leave that decision to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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