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, ā€œI’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.ā€

She added, ā€œThese 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.ā€

Pelosi explained, ā€œWhen I saw what it meant to the staff, the way it traumatized them, it was frightening … You cannot erase that.ā€

A reporter later asked Pelosi if she thinks the Capitol is safer this year than a year ago.

ā€œOf 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,ā€ she said.

The House speaker went on, ā€œSo I don’t fault anybody for not knowing…that the president, the president, was instigating this.ā€

Advertisement

Pelosi recognized the House select committee’s work to investigate the riot.

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 ā€œleft with no choice but to advance contempt proceedings and recommend that the body in which Mr. Meadows once served refer him for criminal prosecution.ā€