In recent interviews, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has employed words made famous during the Watergate hearings in reference to President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, suggesting a congressional investigation into his conduct will occur.
On Sunday, Pelosi accused Trump of not working urgently enough to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We should be taking every precaution. What the president — his denial at the beginning was deadly,” Pelosi told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The speaker then referenced one of the most noteworthy questions asked during the 1973 Watergate impeachment hearings against then-President Richard Nixon: “What did the president know and when did he know it?”
“I don’t know what the scientists said to him. When did this president know about this, and what did he know? What did he know and when did he know it? That’s for an after-action review,” Pelosi said.
Reporter’s Notebook: Lawmakers wrestle over whether AI can make the grade in America’s classrooms
Usha Vance Mocks New York Times After Outlet Gets Weird About Her Maternity Outfit
Supreme Court Delivers Big 2nd Amendment Win, Striking Down Restrictive Concealed Carry Law
WATCH: Hearing derails as purple-haired Dem points finger, screams at chair to put DHS chief ‘in his place’
USPS wouldn’t deliver ballots in states that refuse to fork over mail-in voter info under proposed rule
Supreme Court hands Trump two major immigration victories
FBI joins probe into ‘Free Karmelo’ mob that allegedly beat woman while chanting support for killer: police
Watch: Alan Dershowitz Reveals the Sickest Public Part of Bill Gates’ Friendship With Epstein – Says ‘There’s a Smell’ to Gates’ Testimony Prep
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes don’t match suspect’s behavior, profiler says: ‘I don’t believe they’re real’
Obama Presidential Library Betrays Black Visitors, Issues Wildly Racist Demand on Website – at Least We’ve Been Told It’s Racist
Hundreds dead as Europe breaks temperature records during heat wave
Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects
Mamdani and Hochul announce cash infusion for New York City Abortion Access Hub expansion
Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating
Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’
“But as the president fiddles, people are dying. And we just have to take every precaution,” she added.
Pelosi asked the same question Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe, wondering what and when scientists were advising Trump about COVID-19.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Elizabeth Harrington responded to Pelosi’s interview, tweeting, “Democrats are so impeachment obsessed, Pelosi is trying to turn a virus from Wuhan into Watergate.”
Democrats are so impeachment obsessed, Pelosi is trying to turn a virus from Wuhan into Watergate
"What did he know & when did he know it?" Is she talking about Xi?
POTUS mobilized CDC, created task force, and stopped travel, while Dems wasted our time on a Ukraine witch hunt pic.twitter.com/Erfee6VL4i
— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) March 31, 2020
Reporter’s Notebook: Lawmakers wrestle over whether AI can make the grade in America’s classrooms
Usha Vance Mocks New York Times After Outlet Gets Weird About Her Maternity Outfit
Supreme Court Delivers Big 2nd Amendment Win, Striking Down Restrictive Concealed Carry Law
WATCH: Hearing derails as purple-haired Dem points finger, screams at chair to put DHS chief ‘in his place’
USPS wouldn’t deliver ballots in states that refuse to fork over mail-in voter info under proposed rule
Supreme Court hands Trump two major immigration victories
FBI joins probe into ‘Free Karmelo’ mob that allegedly beat woman while chanting support for killer: police
Watch: Alan Dershowitz Reveals the Sickest Public Part of Bill Gates’ Friendship With Epstein – Says ‘There’s a Smell’ to Gates’ Testimony Prep
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes don’t match suspect’s behavior, profiler says: ‘I don’t believe they’re real’
Obama Presidential Library Betrays Black Visitors, Issues Wildly Racist Demand on Website – at Least We’ve Been Told It’s Racist
Hundreds dead as Europe breaks temperature records during heat wave
Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects
Mamdani and Hochul announce cash infusion for New York City Abortion Access Hub expansion
Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating
Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’
“‘What did he know & when did he know it?’ Is she talking about Xi?” Harrington continued. “POTUS mobilized CDC, created task force, and stopped travel, while Dems wasted our time on a Ukraine witch hunt.”
On Jan. 31, Trump announced the then-controversial decision to ban flights coming out of China into the United States, making the U.S. one of the first nations to do so, according to a CNN timeline.
The move came 10 days after officials confirmed the first American case of the virus.
That same week, the president established a coronavirus task force to monitor the unfolding public health situation.
Even as the news coming out of China worsened, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were pushing for additional witnesses and documents to be included in Trump’s impeachment trial, which would have resulted in the proceedings continuing for weeks or perhaps months.
Reporter’s Notebook: Lawmakers wrestle over whether AI can make the grade in America’s classrooms
Usha Vance Mocks New York Times After Outlet Gets Weird About Her Maternity Outfit
Supreme Court Delivers Big 2nd Amendment Win, Striking Down Restrictive Concealed Carry Law
WATCH: Hearing derails as purple-haired Dem points finger, screams at chair to put DHS chief ‘in his place’
USPS wouldn’t deliver ballots in states that refuse to fork over mail-in voter info under proposed rule
Supreme Court hands Trump two major immigration victories
FBI joins probe into ‘Free Karmelo’ mob that allegedly beat woman while chanting support for killer: police
Watch: Alan Dershowitz Reveals the Sickest Public Part of Bill Gates’ Friendship With Epstein – Says ‘There’s a Smell’ to Gates’ Testimony Prep
Nancy Guthrie ransom notes don’t match suspect’s behavior, profiler says: ‘I don’t believe they’re real’
Obama Presidential Library Betrays Black Visitors, Issues Wildly Racist Demand on Website – at Least We’ve Been Told It’s Racist
Hundreds dead as Europe breaks temperature records during heat wave
Senate Republican pushes overhaul to cut red tape and speed up American energy projects
Mamdani and Hochul announce cash infusion for New York City Abortion Access Hub expansion
Michigan childcare provider collected $1.1M in taxpayer funds despite no visible signs of operating
Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair kicks off 16-day festival on National Mall: ‘America come to life’
Following Pelosi’s Sunday CNN interview, the president called her a “sick puppy” and a “disgrace” in response to her claim his administration is costing people’s lives.
He accused her of playing a political “game.”
“It’s a sad thing,” Trump told Fox News.
“She’s a sick puppy, in my opinion. She really is. She’s got a lot of problems, and that’s a horrible thing to say especially when … I stopped some very, very infected, very, very sick people, thousands coming in from China.”
“She was playing the impeachment game, her game where she ended up looking like a fool,” he added.
By invoking the language of Watergate, Pelosi may be seeking to shift the coronavirus narrative.
Recent polling shows a majority of Americans support Trump’s handling of the outbreak.
A Gallup poll released last week found 60 percent approve of the president’s COVID-19 efforts, including 27 percent of Democrats in the survey.
Similarly, an ABC News/Washington Post poll published late last week showed Trump with 51 percent approval and 45 percent disapproval in his handling of the crisis.
Additionally, for the first time in ABC News/Washington Post polling conducted during Trump’s presidency, a majority of Americans approve of his overall job performance: 48 to 46 percent.
Story cited here.
