The Sweet Satisfaction of Nancy Pelosi Leading Donald Trump’s Impeachment
On Thursday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked House Democratic committee chairs to officially draw up articles of impeachment against President Trump, the key next step in the process of attempting to remove the president from office. “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and our heart full of love for America, today, I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment,” Pelosi said in an address to the American people from the Capitol.
Pelosi went on to say that Trump violated the Constitution and “abused his power for his own personal, political benefit at the expense of our national security” when he dangled military aid and a coveted Oval Office meeting with Ukraine, if the country launched an investigation into his political rival, Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter. Pelosi had previously resisted her party’s calls for impeachment, but said that “the facts of the Ukraine situation just changed everything.”
Her announcement came after the House Judiciary Committee’s first hearing on Wednesday, during which three of the nation’s leading constitutional law professors testified that Trump’s dubious dealings with Ukraine amounted to an impeachable abuse of power, and weeks of testimony in the House’s preliminary impeachment inquiry.
Thursday’s news would feel like a monumental step in holding President Trump to account, no matter who the Speaker was. But I won’t lie: To be able to say that it was her announcement—Pelosi’s—feels especially satisfying. Is it just me, or is there something sweet about the most politically powerful woman in America—the first female Speaker in history—being the one to officially move forward with impeaching a noted misogynist? After all his alleged sexual harassment and misconduct, all of his sexist rantings (including demeaning Pelosi as “Crazy Nancy”)—it feels deliciously fitting that a woman made the ultimate determination to hold up truth against his power.
And yet Pelosi was careful to note that going forward with the impeachment process is bigger than partisan politics or any personal conflict between her and the president. When asked by a reporter on her way out of the briefing room if she “hates the president”—as if the national interest is a schoolyard squabble—Pelosi essentially went off, returning to the podium to clearly state that “as a Catholic, I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. ... Don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that.”
Her political differences with the president would be left to the election, Pelosi said. As for impeachment, “this is about the Constitution of the United States.” As if there were any doubt, this mic-drop cemented it: Today belonged to Nancy Pelosi.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
