Pelosi: ‘Don’t Mess with Me’
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| Photo: Alex Wong House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responds to a question about whether she is pursuing impeachment of Pres. Donald Trump over hate at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019.) |
Don't mess with "Fancy Nancy"
By Mona Austin
(The Slice): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost patience with a Sinclair Broadcasting reporter in her weekly press conference on Thursday, when asked if her pursuit of impeachment is related to hating President Donald Trump.
Pelosi had walked away from the podium, but the question stopped her in her tracks. She turned back around to confront the reporter directly.
“I don’t hate anybody,” she said.
Invoking her Catholic upbringing, Pelosi pointed her finger and snapped at Sinclair reporter James Rosen, saying, "I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. I don’t hate anyone. ”
Invoking her Catholic upbringing, Pelosi pointed her finger and snapped at Sinclair reporter James Rosen, saying, "I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. I don’t hate anyone. ”
"I was raised in a way to have a heart full of love and always pray for the president. I pray for the president all the time." Her body language seemed to convey she was upset. Her final words over the question confirmed it, “. . .don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that,” she said.
In a Town Hall with Jake Tapper airing on CNN later that evening, she said, "For him to say that was really disgusting to me," while she understood the reporter was quoting someone else. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the minorty leader on the House Judiciary Committee, had asserted that Pelosi and the Democrats hate the president, a claim that has been used as Republican rationale as to why they want to unseat Trump for months.
Hitting back harder this time, Pelosi also went after Sinclair Broadcasting, questioning their legitimacy as a new organization. She asked, “Was that a reporter? Is that what reporters do?. . .Is that a news source?”
Sinclair Broadcasting said in a statement that Rosen did not have harmful intentions in posing the question.
Sinclair spokesperson Ronn Torossian told CNN: “We have reviewed the incident and based on the video, this was clearly not meant to be an inflammatory question and, further, this gave Speaker Pelosi the opportunity to clarify her own views, something that only strengthens positive dialogue. Again, both Sinclair and James Rosen respect Speaker Pelosi and hope we can continue the dialogue.”
Sinclair Broadcasting said in a statement that Rosen did not have harmful intentions in posing the question.
Sinclair spokesperson Ronn Torossian told CNN: “We have reviewed the incident and based on the video, this was clearly not meant to be an inflammatory question and, further, this gave Speaker Pelosi the opportunity to clarify her own views, something that only strengthens positive dialogue. Again, both Sinclair and James Rosen respect Speaker Pelosi and hope we can continue the dialogue.”
On Thursday morning , Pelosi approved House Judiciary Committee Chairmen Jerry Nadler to proceed with drafting articles of impeachment against Trump, following the appearance of a panel of Constitutional law judges on Tuesday who argued, 3 to 1 that Pres. Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
Trump tweeted that he doubted the House Speaker prays for him. She fired right back in an evening interview saying he is "projecting" his feelings because "he's probably not praying."
