Warren presses Pelosi on impeachment: ‘Some things are above politics’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump, saying that the House should put aside political concerns and get lawmakers on the record for where they stand.

At an NAACP forum in Detroit, moderator April Ryan noted that the organization had called on the House to impeach Trump a day before, and asked Warren her thoughts.

“What say you about that, particularly because Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, is not for impeachment right now?” Ryan asked.

“I understand there are people who for political reasons say this is not where we want to be, but in my view some things are above politics,” Warren responded.{mosads}

“One of them is our constitutional responsibilities to do what is right, and the responsibility of the Congress of the United States of America, when the president breaks the law, is to bring impeachment charges against that president,” she continued.

“My view is, whether it would pass the Senate or not … this is a moment in history and every single person in Congress should be called on to vote and then to live with that vote for the rest of their lives.” 

Warren’s remarks come as Pelosi seeks to beat back a growing call from her caucus to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump. As of Wednesday, more than 90 House Democrats have backed an impeachment inquiry.

Some Democrats are worried that impeachment will be a distraction from the economic issues they’d like to see at the forefront of the 2020 presidential campaign. And there are fears impeachment could backfire, turning off independents who might otherwise be receptive to the Democratic message.

Warren’s remarks also come as former special counsel Robert Mueller is giving his highly anticipated testimony before Congress.

Warren cited the Mueller report as the primary reason that Trump should be impeached. 

“We have to make clear no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States,” Warren said. “It’s time to bring impeachment charges against him.”