Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:54 pm
Former Republican congressman David Jolly said on Tuesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should deliver a primetime address to the nation making the case for impeachment.
While the former GOP lawmaker said he understands that the public isn’t fully there on moving toward impeachment, he said it is up to Pelosi to make the case.
“Imagine if Nancy Pelosi tomorrow asked to address the nation in primetime at 9:00 P.M.,” Jolly said. Nancy Pelosi can move the needle for the American people.
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Video:
Former GOP Rep. @DavidJollyFL explains what he thinks Nancy Pelosi should do to increase public support for impeachment. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/4cnjXfs1tI
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 5, 2019
Ex-Rep. Jolly said:
I think this position on impeachment articulated by Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and others that somehow the nation needs to get there. The irony is that the single person that could get the nation there is Nancy Pelosi herself. Chris, imagine if Nancy Pelosi tomorrow asked to address the nation in primetime at 9:00 P.M. Every network would cover it but for Fox News. Imagine if the speaker said, ‘Taken the Mueller report’s narrative about Don McGahn and the president telling McGahn to fire Mueller and cover it up constitutes the three elements of obstruction, an obstructive act linked to an official proceeding with a corrupt intent and based on 1,000 federal prosecutors, including Mimi, the Congress believes that that rises to the level of impeachment under article two, section four and, therefore in 30 days, we’re going to have a vote. And we hope that administration officials will cooperate with our invitation to testify, but if they don’t, we’re moving to a vote. Nancy Pelosi can move the needle for the American people. Instead, we’re relying on rank and file members to try to do it. I’m not sure it will ever happen.
Nancy Pelosi knows exactly what she’s doing on impeachment
Given her track record of owning Donald Trump since she took over as Speaker of the House, it’s probably safe to say that Nancy Pelosi knows exactly what she’s doing when it comes to the issue of impeachment proceedings.
Many Democrats are impatient and feel that Congress isn’t moving quickly enough toward an impeachment inquiry – and that’s a fair criticism – but it’s also critical for angry Democrats to remember that impeachment is a one-shot type of maneuver.
If you move too quickly or overreach before the public is fully onboard, then you run the risk of handing Donald Trump a major political victory ahead of what will certainly be a tight election contest in 2020.
It’s unlikely that Nancy Pelosi will, as former Rep. David Jolly suggested, call for a primetime speech dedicated to impeachment. But the work being done right now under her leadership – investigations, subpoenas and a growing number of court victories – is likely to have the same impact.
When the Democrats are able to fully flex their oversight power and bring all of the necessary evidence and witnesses before the public, it’s likely that the public will understand why the impeachment process exists.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
