Nancy Pelosi just signaled Democrats won't move to impeach Trump if they retake the House
- House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that she would not support moving to impeach President Donald Trump if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives following the midterm elections.
- "I get criticized in my own party for not being in support of it," Pelosi said. "But I'm not. If that happens, it would have to be bipartisan, and the evidence would have to be so conclusive."
- For many Democrats, whether in the Capitol or on the campaign trail, the issue of impeachment is seen as a nuisance and a distraction from more serious issues.
If Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in this year's midterm elections, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said she would not support moving to impeach President Donald Trump.
"Some Democrats are saying this, they want to conduct investigations of the president, they even want to impeach the president," PBS's Judy Woodruff said to Pelosi during an interview on Tuesday night.
"That serves their purpose, to say that," Pelosi replied. "We certainly will honor our responsibility as oversight of the executive branch."
Asked whether Democrats would try to impeach Trump, Pelosi said: "It depends on what happens in the [special counsel Robert] Mueller investigation, but that is not unifying and I get criticized in my own party for not being in support of it. But I'm not. If that happens, it would have to be bipartisan, and the evidence would have to be so conclusive."
Pelosi said she and other Democrats will instead focus on addressing the concerns of everyday voters.
"They want to see us working to get that done for them," she said. "They want resolve. They want peace, and that's what we'll bring them."
Few Democrats want to actively talk about impeaching Trump. For many, whether in the Capitol or on the campaign trail, the issue is seen as a nuisance and a distraction from more serious issues.
Senior leadership has also repeatedly cautioned against impeachment, warning that it would only deepen the partisan squabbling in Congress.
The House previously tabled attempts by Rep. Al Green of Texas, a Democrat, to impeach Trump.'
The most recent instance occurred in January, when only 66 Democrats voted to keep the impeachment resolution, compared with 121 who sided with all House Republicans. Three Democrats voted "present."