President Trump is “deranged, unhinged, dangerous,” and deserving of prosecution, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says in an interview scheduled to air Sunday night on “60 Minutes.”
The San Francisco Democrat sat down for a conversation with Leslie Stahl of the CBS News program last week following Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol by a crowd of protesters.
“Is anybody running the executive branch of the government? Who is running the executive branch?” Stahl asks in a preview clip released by CBS, implying that Trump may have abdicated his position in the waning days of his term following criticism over the Capitol security breach.
“Well, sadly, the person who’s running the executive branch is a deranged, unhinged, dangerous president of the United States,” Pelosi asserts in response.
“And we’re only a number of days until we can be protected from him. But he has done something so serious that there should be should be prosecution against him.”
PELOSI: CAPITOL RIOTERS CHOSE THEIR ‘WHITENESS’ OVER DEMOCRACY
Pelosi, 80, of course, is a frequent target of ire from President Trump and other Republicans, along with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Democrats’ leader in the other chamber of Congress. The GOP typically regards Democratic policy proposals as unnecessary, expensive, overly restrictive – or some combination thereof.
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‘Fire Pelosi’
At a Trump rally near the White House that preceded the Capitol siege, Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican and vocal Trump supporter, wore a red cap saying “Fire Pelosi,” when he addressed the crowd on Wednesday.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., wears a “Fire Pelosi” hat as he speaks Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called the “Save America Rally.” (Associated Press)
In separate remarks Saturday, in an online meeting with her San Francisco constituents, Pelosi characterized the Capitol siege in racial terms, accusing the participants of having chosen their “Whiteness” over a regard for American democracy.
“It has been an epiphany for the world to see that there are people in our country led by this president, for the moment, who have chosen their Whiteness over democracy,” Pelosi said, according to The Associated Press.
‘Nothing is off the table’
Later in the “60 Minutes” clip, Stahl then inquires whether lawmakers have declared the 25th Amendment of the Constitution – which outlines steps for removal of a sitting president – “off the table” in their conversations about how to react to Trump after the Capitol riot.
“No, it isn’t. Nothing is off the table,” Pelosi answered.
WHAT IS THE 25TH AMENDMENT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
In another CBS preview clip, Pelosi describes her experience inside the Capitol as protesters were gathering outside and then entering the building.
“I was pulled from the podium, just literally pulled from the podium,” Pelosi says, presumably referring to Capitol security personnel.
The volatile situation saw lawmakers – Pelosi among them – seeking cover inside the building as protesters ran roughshod through hallways and even into lawmakers’ offices.
“They were vocally saying, ‘Where’s the speaker? We know she has staff. They’re here someplace. We’re going to find them,” Pelosi tells Stahl, though it was unclear whether the speaker was referring to security personnel or to members of the crowd.
News coverage of the siege included at least two widely distributed photos linked to Pelosi: In one shot, a man is seen carrying a podium that authorities said was from Pelosi’s office, and in another shot a different man is seen seated inside Pelosi’s office, with his left foot up on one of the desks.
A protester carries the lectern of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through the Roturnda of the U.S. Capitol Building, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
Richard Barnett, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, sits inside the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6. (Getty Images)
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Both men have reportedly been arrested in connection with the siege:
The man seen carrying the podium has been identified by authorities as Adam Christian Johnson, 36, who was apprehended in Pinellas County, Fla. The Justice Department said Johnson has been charged with “one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”
The man seen seated in Pelosi’s office has been identified by authorities as Richard Barnett, 60, of Gravette, Ark. He has been charged with violent entry and theft of public property, among other offenses, and was expected to be extradited to Washington after his arrest in Arkansas, authorities told Fox News.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this story.