Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as “not responsible” following his reported support for expunging former President Donald Trump’s two impeachments.
McCarthy, in an effort to make up to Trump for his failure to endorse a 2024 GOP candidate and expressing public doubts about the former president’s prospects, promised to hold a House vote to wipe the impeachments from Trump’s record, a source told Politico. The outlet said another source denied that McCarthy made such a pledge.
“Kevin is playing politics, it’s not even clear if he constitutionally can expunge those things,” said Pelosi, who served as speaker for eight years. “If he wants to put his members on the spot, his members in difficult races on the spot, that’s a decision he has to make but this is not responsible.”
She continued: “This is about being afraid. As I’ve said before, Donald Trump is the puppeteer and what does he do all the time? Shine a light on the strings. These people look pathetic.”
Politico, which reported on the “secret” expungement promise last week, noted that McCarthy’s own leadership team is split on revisiting Trump’s record of disgrace.
Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced resolutions last month expunging the two Trump impeachments. It’s uncertain whether GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump, namely Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.), would back such an effort.
“I understand why individuals want to do it, and we’d look at it,” he said then.