Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has joined the list of those issuing statements in response to a morning appearance by special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller’s brief public appearance emphasized once again that Russian interference in the 2016 election was aimed at helping Donald Trump, and that Department of Justice regulations prevented Mueller from indicting Trump despite a wealth of evidence of his attempts to obstruct the investigation into that interference.
Mueller made it clear that the only way to resolve the issues surrounding Trump’s actions is in Congress. Many Democrats, including some who had not previously called for impeachment, issued new calls to begin impeachment inquiries following Mueller’s statement.
However, Pelosi’s reaction is milder. While repeating some of the key points of Mueller’s statement, Pelosi did not use the word “impeachment.” Instead she stated that Congress “holds sacred its constitutional authority to investigate and hold the president responsible for his abuse of power.” She also stated that the House will continue to “investigate and legislate to protect our elections.”
The pressure on Pelosi to open impeachment inquiries can be expected to reach new heights following Mueller’s statement.