House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that it is not her “plan” to impeach Brett Kavanaugh if he is confirmed to the Supreme Court and Democrats win back the House this fall.
“That would not be my plan,” Pelosi said during an appearance at the Atlantic Festival in Washington, D.C. “I have enough people on my back to impeach the president.”
“It’s about unifying,” she added. “Let’s hope, with the information that comes forward, and with the demonstration of temperament that is not judicial, that the Senate will do the right thing.”
{mosads}Pelosi struck a similar tone at the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival over the weekend, where she urged Democrats to take it “one step at a time” on Kavanaugh.
The California Democrat, who has also kept calls to impeach President Trump at an arm’s length, said Tuesday that Democrats would instead focus on conducting congressional oversight of the administration if they were in control of the House next year.
“This is not a rubber stamp for any president, but its own independent, co-equal branch of government,” Pelosi said.
Trump on Friday agreed to Senate GOP leaders’ request for a “supplemental” FBI background check investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, delaying his nomination to the Supreme Court for at least a week.
Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, both testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in an emotional, rollercoaster hearing during which Kavanaugh issued fiery rebukes of Democrats and forcefully denied the allegations against him.
Kavanaugh’s nomination advanced to the Senate floor on Friday in a party-line vote, while several Republicans have indicated that they will not vote for his nomination until the FBI investigation is completed.
Pelosi’s comments come as a number of Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have indicated they would be open to investigating Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh should Democrats win a majority in the House in the November midterm elections.