Pelosi against censuring Trump

WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday made her strongest comments on impeachment to date in rejecting an idea some House Democrats have floated to censure President Donald Trump.

“No. I think censure is just a way out,” the California Democrat said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast, when asked if she would support a censure resolution against Trump. “If you want to go, you have to go. In other words, if the goods are there, you must impeach.”

Pelosi has always said Democrats will let the facts obtained during their investigations of Trump dictate whether impeachment is merited or not, but her statement noting “if the goods are there, you must impeach” is some of her strongest language yet on the matter.

In rejecting the idea of censure, Pelosi basically said no action short of impeachment will be enough to punish Trump for his alleged misdeeds.

“Censure is nice but is not commensurate with the violations of the Constitution, should we decide that’s the way to go,” she said. “That’s a day at the beach for the president — or his golf club, wherever he goes.”

So will Pelosi get on board with impeachment, and if so when? She provided an answer that left the outcome open-ended.

“When we stop finding even more information,” she said.

The “cover-up,” as Pelosi has referred to Trump’s stonewalling, runs deep, the speaker noted.

“Every day we see more, so why would we stop with a less strong case?” she said.

Pelosi also reiterated the importance of public sentiment and getting more of the American people on board with the idea of impeaching Trump before Democrats consider going down that path.