Reports: Nancy Pelosi wants Trump 'in prison' but not impeached
WASHINGTON — According to reports in the Washington Post and Politico, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told congressional colleagues on Wednesday evening that she wanted to see Trump "in prison" after he was out of office and prosecuted for crimes rather than impeached.
“I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison," said Pelosi, according to sources in the room.
The reports did not refer specifically to which crimes Pelosi sought to see Trump imprisoned for, but there are several congressional investigations currently ongoing into the president's finances, campaign associates, and business dealings. There are also several federal, state, and city-level investigations into Trump's businesses, the payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and his inaugural committee.
When reached by USA TODAY, Ashley Etienne, a Pelosi spokesperson, would not confirm or deny the remarks but said in a statement that "Speaker Pelosi and the Chairs had a productive meeting about the state of play with the Mueller report. They agreed to keep all options on the table and continue to move forward with an aggressive hearing and legislative strategy, as early as next week, to address the president’s corruption and abuses of power uncovered in the report.”
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Pelosi had been holding a regular check-in meeting with the chairs of five congressional committees that are currently conducting investigations into the president. Pelosi, for her part, has tried to tamp down a drive for impeachment within the House Democratic caucus.
She told reporters at her weekly news conference on Wednesday afternoon that she was "not feeling any pressure" on impeachment.
Some members of the caucus, though, believe that the opening of an impeachment inquiry could help speed up House Democrats' investigations.
On Wednesday evening, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler told CNN that “we are launching an inquiry now, and whether we'll launch an impeachment inquiry, it may come to that.”
Special counsel Robert Mueller's remarks on his investigation and Trump's potential obstruction of justice prompted further House Democratic calls for impeachment. Some of the Democratic presidential contenders have also called for Trump's impeachment.
Trump, in an interview with Fox on Thursday, slammed Pelosi for wanting Mueller to testify before Congress.
Trump said, "Nancy Pelosi, I call her Nervous Nancy...Nancy Pelosi is a disaster, OK? She’s a disaster. Let her do what she wants, you know what? I think they’re in big trouble.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reports: Nancy Pelosi wants Trump 'in prison' but not impeached
