Page 17 - HOH

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 19 december 2019

Legacy moment: Pelosi leads 'somber' Trump impeachment

By LAURIE KELLMAN the meeting immediately
Associated Press Writer after.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The All along, even as she de-
House's center of power rided Trump's "manhood"
took a seat toward the in a private meeting, Pelosi
back of the chamber resisted impeaching Trump.
Wednesday. Her golden It was too divisive, and the
mace brooch, symbol of country was already too di-
the House and the speak- vided, she said.
er's authority, glinted. But in September, a group
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of new lawmakers from
spent much of the historic Trump-won districts, includ-
day within a few steps of ing Spanberger, gave Pe-
the cloakroom door, away losi the cover to proceed
from better-lit seats where with an impeachment in-
the managers and mem- quiry. They wrote an op-ed
bers were debating im- published in The Washing-
peachment. Only briefly, ton Post supporting im-
she stepped into the glare peachment over Trump's
of the well. conduct toward Ukraine.
"Today, as speaker of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., points to a poster as she speaks as the House of "A solemn moment" has
Representatives debates the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the
House, I solemnly and sadly Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. been Pelosi's message to
open the debate on the Associated Press Democrats throughout the
impeachment of the presi- Intelligence and Judiciary
dent of the United States," tered on Trump's pressure He weighed in on Pelosi's smirk-and-clap from above Committee hearings that
Pelosi said. on Ukraine, as moderates legacy, too, predicting on and behind him. followed. No more boasts
Like it or not, Pelosi's role wanted. And a slate of oth- Twitter she'll go down as his- She did it again during a that "we're going to im-
leading Trump's expected er legislation was wrapped, tory's "worst speaker." In a White House meeting in peach the motherf—ker,"
impeachment will dramati- giving all of the Democrats letter released on the eve October. In an image re- as freshman Rep. Rashida
cally shape her legacy after achievements to show off of voting, he said Pelosi "is leased by the White House, Tlaib of Michigan declared
more than 30 years in Con- at home. after the entire Republican Pelosi can be seen stand- on her first day in office.
gress. So in a town where Pelosi's hold on the caucus Party." ing and pointing a finger Democrats, Pelosi made
body language and prox- made it possible for her to Pelosi's ultimate power mo- across a table at him, while clear in public and private,
imity often convey power, lead just by being there, ment Wednesday was a the president says some- were not to celebrate
Pelosi went with a show of rather than openly twist- stark departure from where thing back. The men on when the House approves
confidence, sitting quietly ing arms as she had during she was a year ago, after Trump's side are looking the articles of impeach-
for long stretches flipping passage of the health care the 2018 elections ushered away. Pelosi walked out of ment. q
through other work, check- law. Democrats lost the in a new generation of law-
ing her phone and keeping House the next year, and makers. Some newcomers,
an eye on the debate. with it, Pelosi lost the speak- such as Virginia Rep. Abi-
Being remembered for im- er's post. gail Spanberger, did not
peachment is not some- Back in possession of the vote for Pelosi to return to
thing she relishes after a gavel this year, Pelosi re- the speakership.
career spanning six presi- sisted impeachment until But many more, such as
dents, several wars, pas- a whistleblower report re- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-
sage of the Affordable vealed Trump's pressure Cortez, ultimately helped
Care Act and her own on Ukraine to investigate put Pelosi back on top.
debut as speaker, second his political rivals. That, she What unfolded since then
in line to the presidency. said, the House could not has been a study in Pelosi's
But she said Trump had left ignore. But neither would ability to play the power
the Democrats with "no they celebrate it. game against Trump. Ear-
choice" other than to act. "He gave us no choice," Pe- lier this year, she forced him
Pelosi arrived in the cham- losi, clad in black, said from to retreat and reopen the
ber with Democrats largely the well of the House. government without the
unified, thanks to a careful Trump, a lifelong business- border wall he demanded.
balancing act that played man now face-to-face She then invited him to de-
out over several months. with an equivalent branch liver his State of the Union
The House was impeach- of government, insists he speech from the House
ing Trump, as liberals had is the victim of Democrats chamber — but during the
long demanded. The im- who have wanted to im- event threw her particular
peachment articles cen- peach him from the start. brand of shade his way by