‘Goading us to impeach,’ Pelosi says

President Trump is trying to taunt Democrats into impeaching him because the high-stakes proceedings would “solidify” his political support, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday, echoing an argument made by some of the president’s allies.

Pelosi, who has tried to tamp down talks of impeachment within her caucus, laid out the cautious case while speaking at an unrelated event in Manhattan.

“Trump is goading us to impeach him,” the speaker said. “That’s what he’s doing. Every single day, he’s just like taunting, taunting, taunting, because he knows that it would be very divisive in the country, but he doesn’t really care. He just wants to solidify his base.”

Pelosi (D-Calif.) has cautioned against impeaching Trump in the House, arguing the move could backfire since the GOP-controlled Senate is all but certain to reject charges against the president.

Nonetheless, Pelosi didn’t completely rule out impeachment Tuesday.

“Every day, he’s obstructing justice by saying this one shouldn’t testify and that one shouldn’t testify,” Pelosi told the Midtown crowd, referring to the administration’s stonewalling strategy toward congressional oversight.

“So he’s making the case, but he’s just trying to goad us into impeachment,” she continued. “And wherever you go, I say to my colleagues, whatever it is, be ready. And whatever it is, we’ll be ready.”

Pelosi has made the case that impeachment needs to be a last resort and that Congress should exhaust all other investigative options before considering Trump’s removal from office.

The progressive wing of the party disagrees and argues Trump needs to be impeached immediately as a matter of principle, considering special counsel Robert Mueller refused to exonerate the president of obstructing justice.