Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to reject the Justice Department’s opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted, saying in a new interview that she did not believe those guidelines to be definitive.
“I do not think that is conclusive. No, I do not,” the California Democrat told the Today Show in an interview that aired Thursday morning, just hours before she is expected to return to the speaker’s office.
“Everything indicates that a president can be indicted after he is no longer president of the United States,” she continued.
When pressed specifically on whether special counsel Robert Mueller could seek indictment against a president who is still in office, Pelosi said that it may be legally possible. “I think that that is an open discussion. I think that is an open discussion in terms of the law.”
She also did not rule out the possibility that Democrats would seek to impeach President Donald Trump, though she signaled that they would wait to see what emerged from Mueller’s final report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“We have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report. We shouldn’t be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn’t avoid impeachment for a political reason.”
“Everything indicates that a president can be indicted after he is no longer President of the United States.”
Watch incoming House Speaker @NancyPelosi’s exclusive full interview with @savannahguthrie pic.twitter.com/VCpzjKladp
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 3, 2019
