Radical progressive Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) made headlines late last week when video surfaced showing her enthusiastically proclaiming “we’re going to impeach the motherf***er!” And after pushing out a tweet seemingly to question the validity of what was caught on camera, NBC News anchors and reporters laughed about it during Sunday Today.
After discussing the state of the negotiations between President Trump and the Democrats to end the government shutdown, anchor Willie Geist, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, and White House correspondent Kristen Welker shared a laugh when Tlaib’s tirade was mentioned:
WILLIE GEIST: Meanwhile, Chuck, this new congressional class – newly minted – is coming in real hot. Congresswoman --
[Laughter]
GEIST: -- Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, has come out and said in an event the other night, in fact, the day she was sworn into Congress, that the President needs to be impeached.
“She added some descriptive language to go with that,” Geist noted as he questioned Todd about the “tension here between this new class … and Nancy Pelosi” and their different approaches to impeachment.
Todd said it reminded him of to 2010 election of the Tea Party members and their tension with then-Speaker of the House John Boehner. “John Boehner, you know, would try to delay their demands for some of their crazy investigations on Obama, right,” he chided. Todd recalled how the Speaker “would eventually cave but he would always try to buy time, buy time,” like Pelosi was doing now.
He also found it “interesting” and “telling” that prominent Democrats “all rushed to the microphone to condemn the sentiment more than the language.”
“But I’ll say this,” Todd added, “Look at what Congresswoman Tlaib said. She believes she has a mandate to go after and impeach him, that that’s why she was elected. I think that's what's going to make it inevitable, in my mind, that we have impeachment hearings. I think Nancy please can hold off this for a while, but I don't think she can forever stop this train.”
Looking to Welker, Geist wondered how Pelosi was going to “thwart” the rising calls for impeachment from the radical new House Democrats.
Welker seemed to argue that, at least for now, Pelosi would be able to hold the new members back because Special Counsel Robert Mueller was still investigating. “It's hard to see that there's going to be any real movement on it, I think, until after we get that Mueller report,” she noted. “But, of course, they are worried about a backlash and looking like they’re more interested in politics and not actually governing.”
“If you're the establishment,” Welker qualified, “But if you're some of the new members, what you campaigned on. It fires up the base.”
“They’re in no mood for patience these new members,” Geist quipped as they moved on.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Sunday Today
January 6, 2019
8:08:47 a.m. EasternWILLIE GEIST: Meanwhile, Chuck, this new congressional class – newly minted – is coming in real hot. Congresswoman --
[Laughter]
GEIST: -- Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, has come out and said in an event the other night, in fact, the day she was sworn into Congress, that the President needs to be impeached. She added some descriptive language to go with that, a profanity. What is the tension here between this new class, who frankly came in on a wave of progressives who want to see them take out the President politically one way or another, and Nancy Pelosi, who trying to sort of slow walk the idea of impeachment if it gets to that?
CHUCK TODD: You know, I'm having flashbacks to 2010 and the election of those Tea Party members and how John Boehner, you know, would try to delay their demands for some of their crazy investigations on Obama, right, and then – But he would eventually cave but he would always try to buy time, buy time. Look, I think Nancy Pelosi -- Here's what I took away from this week. I thought it was interesting that they all rushed to the microphone to condemn the sentiment more than the language. I think that was telling.
But I’ll say this, look at what Congresswoman Tlaib said. She believes she has a mandate to go after and impeach him, that that’s why she was elected. I think that's what's going to make it inevitable, in my mind, that we have impeachment hearings. I think Nancy please can hold off this for a while, but I don't think she can forever stop this train.
GEIST: And quickly, Kristen, what does Nancy Pelosi to do to thwart this, she said it's not the language I would have used but nothing worse than what the President has been saying?
KRISTEN WELKER: Well, that’s right and I think Nancy Pelosi doesn’t think this is a winning issue for Democrats right now. Why? Because the Mueller investigation isn't finished. And so, you're certainly going to it be to hear these new members of Congress talk about impeachment. It's hard to see that there's going to be any real movement on it, I think, until after we get that Mueller report. But, of course, they are worried about a backlash and looking like they’re more interested in politics and not actually governing. If you're the establishment, but if you're some of the new members, what you campaigned on. It fires up the base.
GEIST: They’re in no mood for patience these new members.
WELKER: Right.
