House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has no plans to forgive former President Donald Trump and his supporters for the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
During a press conference Wednesday, Pelosi told reporters, “I’ll never forgive president — former president of the United States and his lackeys and his bullies that he sent to the Capitol for the trauma that he — that was exerted on our staff.”
She added, “These are young, largely younger people who come with the idealism to work in the Capitol on either side of the aisle and whatever it is.”
Pelosi explained, “When I saw what it meant to the staff, the way it traumatized them, it was frightening … You cannot erase that.”
“When I saw what it meant to the staff, the way it traumatized them, it was frightening … You cannot erase that."
— The Recount (@therecount) December 8, 2021
— House Speaker Pelosi recalls scene in the Capitol on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/yqEsYE3TuH
A reporter later asked Pelosi if she thinks the Capitol is safer this year than a year ago.
“Of course I do. We’ll always ensure that that is the case…I don’t think that whatever preparation anybody would have made that anybody could predict that the president of United States would incite an insurrection,” she said.
The House speaker went on, “So I don’t fault anybody for not knowing…that the president, the president, was instigating this.”
Pelosi recognized the House select committee’s work to investigate the riot.
.@SpeakerPelosi on if she thinks Capitol is safer than a year ago: "Of course I do. We'll always ensure that is the case…I don't think that whatever preparation anybody would have made that anybody could predict that the President of United States would incite an insurrection." pic.twitter.com/25I7GbcYAK
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 8, 2021
Her press conference comes as Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, did not appear for a scheduled deposition before the committee.
Meadows said on Tuesday he would no longer cooperate with the committee, as IJR reported.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the panel, penned a letter to Meadows warning him if he failed to appear the committee would be “left with no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr. Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution.”
