House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blasted Senate Republicans as cowards who refused to stand up to former President Trump and find him guilty in the impeachment trial.
She said these Republicans were more concerned about their political survival than protecting the constitution.
“What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend their job, respect the institution in which they serve,” Pelosi said of the majority of the Senate GOP who found Trump “not guilty” of incitement of insurrection.
Pelosi joined the House impeachment managers Saturday at a news conference after the Senate acquitted Trump again in his second impeachment trial. The vote 57-43 in favor of conviction, but still 10 short of the supermajority needed.
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She praised the work of the nine impeachment managers but lamented that she’s been hearing from her grandchildren that “justice wasn’t done.”
Pelosi wasn’t scheduled to attend the news conference but was motivated to come over after she heard GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s speech in the Senate. McConnell blasted Trump for his “disgraceful dereliction of duty” but still found Trump “not guilty” citing constitutional concerns about the trial taking place when Trump left office.
Pelosi said McConnell gave a “very disingenuous speech” because it was McConnell who actually delayed the start of the impeachment trial until after Trump left office by refusing to accept the article of impeachment the House wanted to deliver earlier.
“You chose not to receive it,” Pelosi said.
“It was the excuse that he used,” she added.
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Pelosi came out strong against now voting to censure Trump, a lesser punishment that some bipartisan senators had floated as an alternative to impeachment.
“Censure is the slap in the face of the constitution,” Pelosi said. “It lets everybody off the hook.
“All these cowardly senators who couldn’t face up to what the president did and what was at stake for our country are now going to have a chance to give a little slap on the wrist?
“We censure people for using stationary for the wrong purpose,” Pelosi continued. “We don’t censure people for inciting insurrection that kills people in the Capitol.”
