Sen. John KennedyJohn Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.) defended remarks this week in which he called Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiSenate fight derails bipartisan drug pricing bills CR discussions veer toward December: Shelby Scarborough knocks GOP senator for Pelosi remark: He ‘degraded himself’ MORE (D-Calif.) “dumb,” saying that his comments were “accurate.”
“Well, I didn’t mean disrespect,” he said Friday on Fox News, “but I do think what I said was accurate.”
“Let me say it again: I think that what Speaker Pelosi is doing here is not only dumb, but it’s dangerous,” he said, referring to the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry led by Pelosi.
“It’s a partisan impeachment, clearly,” he continued. “All impeachments, I guess, are political. But, this one’s 100 percent political and it’s going to establish a new norm for America that I think is bad for us.”
Kennedy first made the remark Wednesday at a rally in Louisiana alongside President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump encounters GOP resistance to investigating Hunter Biden Trump’s 2016 team sounds alarm as Democrats make gains Whistleblower lawyer sends cease and desist to White House over Trump’s attacks MORE.
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to impeach him,” Kennedy said. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but it must suck to be that dumb.”
Republicans on Capitol Hill have criticized House Democrats for a process they’ve called a “sham” after Democrats and Republicans on three committees held closed-door interviews with several officials regarding Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
Public interviews are slated to begin next week.
“Due process should matter,” Kennedy said Friday. “And I think Speaker Pelosi intends to give the president a fair and impartial firing squad and she made up her mind before she saw the facts.”