House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to rule out the option of impeaching President Donald Trump or Attorney General William Barr if Trump attempts to push through a Supreme Court nominee following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Well, we have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country,” Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ “This Week.”
Pelosi said members of Congress “take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people.”
Ginsburg’s death has heightened what was already a contentious presidential election, one taking place amid the worst public health crisis in a century.
Pelosi noted that Democrats’ main goal is to protect the “integrity of the election as we protect the American people from the coronavirus.”
“So, again, when people say, what can I do? You can vote. You can get out the vote, and you can do so as soon as possible,” she said.
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The speaker praised Ginsburg during the program, calling her a “powerful, brilliant brain on the court.”
“She was brilliant, and she was strategic, and she was successful. And she did more for equality for women in our country than anyone that you can name, and women appreciate that,” Pelosi said, “and I think that you will see women weighing in on all of these decisions, be the elections, confirmations or the rest.”
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According to NPR, Justice Ginsburg dictated a deathbed statement to her granddaughter, Clara Spera: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
However, Republicans have explicitly stated that they plan to vote on a Trump nominee to the high court, despite the close date of the election. The president has said that he plans to announce his pick as soon as this Friday or Saturday following services memorializing Ginsburg.
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