Trump reportedly asked Pelosi for a deal before her impeachment launch. She said he could 'obey the law.'

Trump and Nancy Pelosi did not reach a deal

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan,Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 25 September 2019

President Trump failed to reach a pretty significant deal at the United Nations on Tuesday, NBC News reports.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that she and Trump had spoken earlier in the day, while Trump was at the U.N. General Assembly, initially discussing gun violence before their conversation "segued into other things." In a meeting with House Democrats before announcing the launch of an official impeachment inquiry against Trump, Pelosi provided a little more information about the call, NBC News correspondent Heidi Przybyla reports.

In the meeting, Pelosi explained why Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign is different from his previous potentially impeachable offenses, and "she also outlined a phone call today that she had with the president that was very interesting," Przybyla said on MSNBC's The Beat. "I got a readout on that, that the president actually said to Nancy Pelosi, 'Hey, can we do something about this whistleblower complaint, can we work something out?' And she said 'Yes, you can tell your people to obey the law.' So she quickly swatted that down and made it clear that it is full steam ahead."

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Some Trump insiders argue that Trump actually wants House Democrats to pursue impeachment, on the theory it will boost his re-election chances, but Politico reported Monday that a group of White House and Justice Department lawyers have been working with Trump's personal legal team since May 2018 to wage a shadow war aimed at preventing impeachment. You can watch Przybyla's comments below in context as Ari Melber attempts to keep up with a crazy news day. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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