GOP leader Kevin McCarthy carefully avoids saying whether Trump 'did anything wrong'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) would rather not answer this question.

As the House gathered Wednesday to vote on the two articles of impeachment levied against President Trump, CNN's Dana Bash had a question for McCarthy: "Did [Trump] do anything wrong?" But despite asking McCarthy for a yes or no several times, Bash never got an answer.

"Do you think [Trump] bears any responsibility? Do you think he did anything wrong...?" Bash asked regarding the president's phone call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky or other conduct described by career officials. "He did nothing that rises to level of impeachment," McCarthy said, avoiding the question. "But he did some things that trouble you?" Bash asked again, and McCarthy quickly spun away.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

After McCarthy went off on some of his Democratic colleagues, Bash tried again: "Did the president do anything wrong?" McCarthy again said "he did nothing to be impeached," and when Bash told him to "take away impeachment," McCarthy exasperatedly claimed "that's not the question" and verged off again.

The House is set to further debate the articles of impeachment vote on Wednesday, with two votes on the articles expected at the end of the day.