WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took aim at her Republican successor, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for his support of expunging former President Donald Trump’s two impeachments.
“This is about being afraid. As I’ve said before, Donald Trump is the puppeteer, and what does he do all the time but shine the light on the strings. These people look pathetic,” Pelosi said.
Politico reported last week McCarthy vowed to Trump he would bring an expungement to the House floor. McCarthy denied to NBC News there was any such promise, but noted he supports the idea.
“The president was impeached because we had no choice. He had undermined our national security, jeopardized our well-being of our country. I was very careful about bringing any impeachment forward,” Pelosi said, referring to Trump’s impeachments that centered on his efforts to pressure the president of Ukraine and actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
It is unclear how many House Republicans support expunging Trump’s impeachments, and Pelosi warned McCarthy that such a vote could put some members from competitive districts in a tough spot ahead of the 2024 elections.
“Kevin is, you know, playing politics. It’s not even clear if he can constitutionally expunge those things,” Pelosi said. “If he wants to put his members on the spot, his members on difficult races on the spot, that’s a decision he has to make.”
