House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that President Donald Trump actually wants to be impeached because he believes the Republican-controlled Senate would bail him out.
“I think the president wants us to impeach him,” the California Democrat told Jimmy Kimmel. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.
“And,” Pelosi continued, “there is a school of thought that says, ‘If the Senate acquits you, why bring charges against him in the private sector when he’s no longer president?’ So when we go through with our case, it’s got to be ironclad. Ironclad.”
Watch now as I join @JimmyKimmelLive on ABC to talk about this week’s news and the work House Democrats have done #ForThePeople. pic.twitter.com/W37bwnMByi
The Republican Senate, she added, is “completely in the pocket of Donald Trump.”
“And you think those Republican senators, even if they know he committed a crime, will side with Donald Trump?” Kimmel asked.
“They have been every day. Not one of them has spoken up,” she replied.
Kimmel later asked Pelosi if she’s currently making “sure everybody’s on board” before seriously pursuing impeachment proceedings, which could further divide the nation.
“Well,” she said, “we’re on a path to gain information. The public deserves to know the truth.”
Kimmel, alluding to how recent meetings between Democrats and Trump have been tense, offered the speaker a suggestion for her next meeting with him: “Bring McNuggets. It’s not going to hurt.”
