Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday accused current Speaker Kevin McCarthy of bowing to former President Donald Trump’s whims by supporting the expungement of his two impeachments.
Mr. Trump was impeached twice during Mrs. Pelosi’s speakership, once for abuse of power and obstructing Congress and once for inciting the U.S. Capitol riot.
“This is about being afraid,” Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “As I’ve said before, Donald Trump is the puppeteer. And what does he do all the time to shine light on the strings? These people look pathetic.”
Although Mr. Trump was twice impeached by a Democrat-controlled House, he was twice acquitted by the Senate.
Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, says one impeachment was “not based on true facts” and the other was “on the basis of no due process.”
House Republicans are pushing for a floor vote to expunge both impeachments, which Mr. McCarthy reportedly promised Mr. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Mrs. Pelosi said Mr. Trump had to be impeached because he “undermined our national security” and “jeopardized [the] well-being of our country.”
“We had no choice, [Mr. Trump] must be impeached,” she said. “Kevin is playing politics. It’s not even clear if he constitutionally can expunge.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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