Democrats are pulling out all the stops to prevent President Donald Trump from nominating and the Senate from confirming a Supreme Court nominee. Most of the focus has been on November's election, which is a little more than six weeks away. But ABC News' George Stephanopoulos had an interesting question: should Democrats in the House, under Nancy Pelosi's lead, move to impeach President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr, if they put up a nomination? It would be a full-proof way, in his eyes, to keep the president from successfully replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"You said you want people to get out there and vote but even that's no guarantee that the White House and Senate Republicans won't try and push through a Supreme Court nomination in a lame duck session. Even if Joe Biden wins on November 3rd, even if Democrats pick up seats in the House and maybe even the Senate, so what can you do then?" Stephanopoulous asked. "Some have mentioned the possibility, if they try to push through a nominee in a lame duck session, that you and the House can move to impeach President Trump or Attorney General Barr as a way of stalling and preventing the Senate from acting on this nomination."
"We have our options. We have arrows and our quiver, that I'm not about to discuss right now," Pelosi replied with a smile.
According to the Speaker of the House, President Donald Trump "has threatened to not even accept the results of this election."
Pelosi didn't say whether or not Democrats would pursue impeachment (yet again). But she did say they will focus on the election.
"This administration has been a total failure in protecting the health and well-being of the American people and it has had an impact on our economy," she explained. "The lives, the livelihoods, and the life of our democracy are threatened by this administration."
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"When people say, 'What can I do?' they can vote, they can get out the vote and you can do so as soon possible," Pelosi said. "Ten states, as I said earlier, started their early voting on Friday."
“We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now,” Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos when pressed on what Democrats would do if Republicans move to confirm a Trump SCOTUS pick in a lame duck session if Biden wins. https://t.co/Xgu46wHrLV pic.twitter.com/YcxJup6ZML
— ABC News (@ABC) September 20, 2020
The last thing this country needs six weeks before an election is an impeachment trial. Americans are already casting their votes. The American people are going to decide whether or not President Trump deserves another four years in office. Going through an impeachment trial on bogus charges – yet again – will cause further rift and divide in our nation. If Democrats want to make that move, they better be prepared for the blowback. The Constitution gives the president the power to nominate a justice for the court. Whether or not the Senate decides to vote on that is besides the point. Impeaching the president for doing what's laid out in the Constitution is not only ironic but wrong. This kind of move would set even further precedent for a divided government to go after the president simply for disagreeing with his or her politics. And, in politics, this kind of move is the equivalent of throwing a tantrum on the floor. It's not a good look.
Pelosi knows this is bad politics. She likely won't run with it but, if she does, she would basically solidify a Trump victory in November. The American people didn't like it with the Russia hoax and they sure as hell aren't going to like it when it's something as simple as a SCOTUS nomination.
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