On Friday, NBC’s Today invited on Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to attack the Trump administration over investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and even teed her up to push baseless conspiracy theories suggesting the President was being blackmailed by Russia.
Co-host Savannah gently tried to point out that Pelosi’s recent anti-Trump ranting was not fact-based: “Something you say a lot, and have said a lot, is that you think that the Russians have something on President Trump. You say, ‘What do they have on him?’ Do you actually have information to back up that question or are you just speculating without evidence?”
Pelosi was then given free reign to continue such wild speculation:
No, I just wonder what the Russians have politically, personally, or financially on President Trump. Because this is about a national security issue. Why would the President of the United States just come in and start to flirt with the idea of lifting sanctions on Russia in terms of their behavior in Eastern Europe? Why would the President of the United States question the START treaty? Why would the President of the United States put Putin on a pedestal and diminish the greatness of America in that? There's something wrong with this picture.
Rather than grill the left-wing leader on hurling such unfounded accusations against the President, Guthrie barely managed a follow-up: “You're asking these questions, but you don't have underlying facts that suggest –” Pelosi cut her off:
Well, there’s nothing I would suggest here. But I would say this. Let's have the outside independent commission investigate all of this. And I don't know how many more days where new news connecting the Trump campaign to the Russians needs to come forward for the Republicans in Congress to say, “Let's get to the truth. The American people deserve the truth.” Why are the Republicans protecting the President? Why don't we just have the truth?
The softball exchange began with Guthrie helpfully laying out the case that Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and the White House were supposedly colluding to influence the congressional investigation:
So this is a tangled web. We were just watching how this has all come about. According to facts as we understand them right now, it appears that this information about potential incidental surveillance came from the White House to Chairman Nunes of the House. Do you think Donald Trump was part of all of this? Do you think he knew all along that that information was in the White House and that he was part of this kind of orchestration of getting it out there through Chairman Nunes?...Do you think President Trump was in on it?
Later in the segment, Pelosi demanded that Nunes “recuse himself” and denounced his “bizarre behavior.” Guthrie wondered: “Well, to that point, so you’ve just laid that out, do you think Devin Nunes knew that he was part of this whole orchestration, or do you think he was an unwitting participant? In other words, was he used by the White House?” The Democrat replied: “Of course...he was duped....that's the most innocent, most benign characterization, that he was duped, but he should have known better....It's about having intelligence so that we can protect the American people, not protect the president.”
Fill-in co-host Craig Melvin wrapped up the friendly segment by enthusiastically looking ahead to the 2020 presidential race: “If the election were held tomorrow – let's talk about the Democrats really quickly here before we let you go – if the election were held tomorrow, which Democrat could beat Donald Trump?”
Pelosi dodged: “Well, the election isn’t tomorrow, it's four years away. We have a congressional election in 18 months.” Melvin pleaded: “Is there a Democrat right now?” Guthrie urged: “It’s a thought experiment.” Pelosi assured them: “We have a wealth of talent in the party.” Melvin begged: “Two names, two names.”
Pelosi still didn’t answer, but started off the 2018 midterm campaign instead: “I’m not doing that. What I’m saying is, let’s get a check on President Trump by electing a Democratic congress in 19 months. There's a lot of enthusiasm to do that right now. But I'm certain that many excellent people will put themselves forward.”
Not a single question was asked about Democrats’ obstruction of Trump’s agenda and no demands were made on Pelosi to work with Republicans on any issue.
Here is a full transcript of the March 31 interview:
7:07 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And we have House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi with us exclusively. Congresswoman Pelosi, good morning, good to see you.
REP. NANCY PELOSI: Good morning. My pleasure.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Nancy Pelosi Speaks Out; Talks Flynn Immunity, Russia, Nunes & Working With GOP]
GUTHRIE: So this is a tangled web. We were just watching how this has all come about. According to facts as we understand them right now, it appears that this information about potential incidental surveillance came from the White House to Chairman Nunes of the House. Do you think Donald Trump was part of all of this? Do you think he knew all along that that information was in the White House and that he was part of this kind of orchestration of getting it out there through Chairman Nunes?
PELOSI: Well, whether the President was aware or not is one thing, the White House administration – the Trump administration certainly was. And it is very bizarre. I have a long experience in the intelligence community, served with Republican and Democratic chairmen. I’ve been the top Democrat there myself. I've never seen behavior this bizarre on the part of the chairman.
GUTHRIE: Do you think President Trump was in on it?
PELOSI: Well, he – wittingly or unwittingly – but he has not disassociated himself from it. And you take that and then you have Flynn asking for – General Flynn asking for immunity, there’s – we really have to really take some steps back and hope that in the administration there's some adult someplace who can say this is not fair to the American people.
CRAIG MELVIN: On General Flynn and this question of immunity, is it more important to find out precisely what he knows, or is it more important to potentially build a case against him?
PELOSI: Well, it depends. As was indicated, usually the prosecutors or the committee, as the case may be, would have to get some idea of what information he has. Now, in the past, we saw in Iran-Contra, Colonel [Oliver] North, he took an immunity bath. And we don't want people taking immunity bath at the Congress so that we don't – so that the Justice Department cannot make the case they may want to make against him. This is about Flynn, his, perhaps, violation of the law. What that could lead to, I really don't want to think that it's about Flynn to get the President. This is about Flynn and Flynn.
GUTHRIE: One of the things that the President has been criticized for is making an allegation against the Obama administration but not offering any proof. Something you say a lot, and have said a lot, is that you think that the Russians have something on President Trump.
PELOSI: Yes.
GUTHRIE: You say, “What do they have on him?”
PELOSI: Right.
GUTHRIE: You're asking the question. Do you actually have information to back up that question or are you just speculating without evidence?
PELOSI: No, I just wonder what the Russians have politically, personally, or financially on President Trump. Because this is about a national security issue. Why would the President of the United States just come in and start to flirt with the idea of lifting sanctions on Russia in terms of their behavior in Eastern Europe? Why would the President of the United States question the START treaty? Why would the President of the United States put Putin on a pedestal and diminish the greatness of America in that? There's something wrong with this picture.
GUTHRIE: You're asking these questions, but you don't have underlying facts that suggest –
PELOSI: Well, there’s nothing I would suggest here.
GUTHRIE: Yes.
PELOSI: But I would say this. Let's have the outside independent commission investigate all of this. And I don't know how many more days where new news connecting the Trump campaign to the Russians needs to come forward for the Republicans in Congress to say, “Let's get to the truth. The American people deserve the truth.” Why are the Republicans protecting the President? Why don't we just have the truth? So, you see the – I think that both of the committees can do some kind of an investigation. I don't think that the chairman of the House committee, he should recuse himself, because some of this investigation is about what happened during the –
MELVIN: You don't think that he should recuse himself?
PELOSI: I think he should recuse himself.
MELVIN: Oh, okay.
GUTHRIE: Yeah.
PELOSI: I think he should recuse himself, he should not conduct the investigation, because he was part of the transition. He was part of the transition. So for that and other reasons, his bizarre behavior, why would the chairman of the committee go to the White House to get information that they could have conveyed to the President, bring it to the President, and take it to the press.
GUTHRIE: Well, to that point, so you’ve just laid that out, do you think Devin Nunes knew that he was part of this whole orchestration, or do you think he was an unwitting participant? In other words, was he used by the White House?
PELOSI: Of course, he was a – he was duped. Now, let’s just give – that's the most innocent, most benign characterization, that he was duped, but he should have known better when you’re chairman of the committee. This is, you know, again, the Intelligence Committee is a small committee, you have a responsibility to the caucus, to the Congress, to the country to protect the force protection of our troops. It's about having intelligence so that we can protect the American people, not protect the president.
MELVIN: If the election were held tomorrow – let's talk about the Democrats really quickly here before we let you go – if the election were held tomorrow, which Democrat could beat Donald Trump?
PELOSI: Well, the election isn’t tomorrow, it's four years away. We have a congressional election in 18 months.
MELVIN: Is there a Democrat right now?
GUTHRIE: It’s a thought experiment.
PELOSI: Four years in advance, we didn't know it was going to be Barack Obama. Four years in advance, we didn't know it was going to be Bill Clinton. We have a wealth of talent in the party.
MELVIN: Two names, two names.
PELOSI: I’m not doing that. What I’m saying is, let’s get a check on President Trump by electing a Democratic congress in 19 months. There's a lot of enthusiasm to do that right now. But I'm certain that many excellent people will put themselves forward.
GUTHRIE: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, good to have you here in the studio. Thank you very much.
PELOSI: My pleasure, thank you.
MELVIN: Have a good weekend.
