Were Pelosi's comments about impeaching Trump shortsighted or savvy?
In her own words, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), made some "news" when she expressed her views on impeaching President Trump in an interview with The Washington Post Magazine that was published on Monday.
Pelosi said that she's opposed to impeachment because it's too divisive and Trump is "just not worth it." Though she did imply that she is open to it in principle, should something "so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan" come to the surface.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some find it savvy — if she does eventually change her tune, she'll look more credible than others in eventually working toward impeachment, since it will be evidence, not partisan fervor, that swayed her.
But others believe it will alienate the part of her base who greatly want to see Trump go through the impeachment process.
Regardless, there's little doubt that Pelosi's statement was made with future elections in mind. The Washington Post reports that while her comments "won't sit well" with some members of the Democratic Party, the speaker is well aware of the fact that campaigning too hard for impeachment could come back to bite in the form of energized Republican voters in 2020.
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
