Nancy Pelosi: I Don't Think Our Founders Thought A President Would Ever Do This

Josie Harvey
Updated
Nancy Pelosi: I Don't Think Our Founders Thought A President Would Ever Do This

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made powerful speeches at an abortion rights event Thursday night in Washington.

The two addressed guests at the 50th anniversary dinner for NARAL Pro-Choice America, the oldest organization fighting for abortion rights in the U.S., delivering strong messages on the impeachment process initiated against President Donald Trump and the continued fight for reproductive freedom.

Pelosi said that today was a “very sad time for our country.”

“I say this to you with great sorrow and prayerfully, that we are at a place that I hoped we would never be,” she said.

“We never thought we would see a president take the actions that he has. In fact, I don’t think our Founders ever thought a president would do such a thing,” she added.

Pelosi also emphasized the right of every woman to reproductive health care, saying, “We have won in the court of public opinion, and now we must continue to win in the court of law.”

Clinton, too, began her address by first addressing the impeachment proceedings against the man she ran against for president in 2016. She said that Trump posed a “clear and present danger” to the nation’s future and democracy, and she praised Pelosi for her leadership during this “historic” time.

She said the nation had also reached an important crossroads on reproductive freedom.

“In the last Democratic debate, there was not one single question about abortion rights. It has to be a critical issue in 2020,” Clinton said.

Earlier in the week, NARAL President Ilyse Hogue released a statement on the impeachment inquiry on behalf of the organization, which read, in part:

No one is above the law. Evidence presented shows that this President has abused his power, obstructed justice and obstructed Congress from fulfilling their duty as he tramples our freedoms and pushes an extreme agenda. Meddling in elections is an affront to a vibrant democracy, which is vital for our freedoms to flourish, including reproductive freedom and the right to abortion.

We applaud Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Caucus for beginning this process and we encourage all those in Congress to fulfill their constitutional duty. An impeachment inquiry should not be taken lightly, but neither should the lawlessness of this President and his Administration.”

The event also featured Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), among other women, and prompted an array of best wishes from politicians, presidential candidates and public figures to celebrate the organization’s landmark anniversary:

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.