President Trump is “disturbed, unbalanced, dangerous” and deserves to be prosecuted, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview scheduled to air on Sunday night on “60 Minutes”.
The San Francisco Democrat sat down for a chat with Leslie Stahl on the CBS News program last week after Wednesday’s siege of the US Capitol by a crowd of protesters.
“Does anyone run the executive branch of government? Who runs the executive branch?” Stahl asked in a clip released by CBS, suggesting that Trump may have abdicated his position in the last days of his term following criticism of the Capitol’s security breach.
“Well, unfortunately, the person who runs the executive branch is a crazy, unbalanced and dangerous president of the United States,” says Pelosi in response.
“And there are still a few days to go before we can be protected from him. But he did something so serious that there should be a case against him.”
PELOSI: CAPITOL RIOTERS CHOOSE HIS ‘WHITENESS’ ABOUT DEMOCRACY
Pelosi, 80, of course, is a frequent target of the ire of President Trump and other Republicans, along with Senator Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., the Democratic leader in the other chamber of Congress. The Republican Party usually finds democratic policy proposals unnecessary, expensive, overly restrictive – or some combination of them.
‘Fire Pelosi’
At a Trump rally near the White House that preceded the Capitol siege, Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican and Trump’s vocal supporter, wore a red cap saying “Fire Pelosi” when he addressed the crowd on Wednesday market.
Representative Mo Brooks, R-Ala., Wears a “Fire Pelosi” hat while speaking on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, in Washington, at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called “Save America Rally”. (Associated Press)
In separate comments on Saturday, at an online meeting with his constituents in San Francisco, Pelosi characterized the siege of the Capitol in racial terms, accusing participants of choosing his “whiteness” instead of respecting American democracy.
“It was an epiphany for the world to see that there are people in our country led by this president, at the moment, who have chosen their whiteness over democracy,” said Pelosi, according to The Associated Press.
‘Nothing is off the table’
Later in the “60 Minutes” video, Stahl then asks if lawmakers declared the 25th Amendment to the Constitution – which describes the steps for removing an incumbent president – “off the table” in his conversations about how to react to Trump after the Capitol turmoil.
“No, it isn’t. Nothing is out of the question,” replied Pelosi.
WHAT IS THE 25TH CHANGE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
In another CBS clip, Pelosi describes his experience inside the Capitol while protesters gathered outside and entered the building.
“I was pulled from the podium, literally pulled from the podium,” says Pelosi, presumably referring to Capitol security personnel.
The volatile situation saw lawmakers – Pelosi among them – seek cover inside the building while protesters ran violently down the halls and even into lawmakers’ offices.
“They were saying out loud, ‘Where is the speaker? We know she has employees. They are here somewhere. We will find them,” Pelosi said to Stahl, although it was unclear whether the speaker was referring to the staff. security personnel or members of the crowd.
News coverage of the siege included at least two widely distributed photos linked to Pelosi: in one photo, a man is seen carrying a podium that authorities said was from Pelosi’s office, and in another photo a different man is seen sitting inside the office de Pelosi, with his left foot in one of the wallets.
A protester carries the pulpit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through the Rotunda of the US Capitol building, January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
Richard Barnett, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is sitting in the office of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6. (Getty Images)
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Both men were reportedly arrested in connection with the siege:
The man seen carrying the podium was identified by authorities as Adam Christian Johnson, 36, who was detained in Pinellas County, Florida. The Justice Department said Johnson was accused of “an accusation of intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building or land without legal authority; an accusation of theft of government property; and an accusation of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill.”
The man seen sitting in Pelosi’s office was identified by authorities as Richard Barnett, 60, from Gravette, Arkansas. He was charged with violent entry and theft of public property, among other crimes, and was expected to be extradited to Washington after his arrest in Arkansas, officials told Fox News.
Audrey Conklin and Louis Casiano and Fox News’ The Associated Press contributed to this story.