House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s plan to brief a pair of House Republicans on a confidential intelligence source in the Russia investigation shouldn’t happen.
“Tomorrow shouldn’t happen,” the California Democrat said at a CNN town hall Wednesday night. “There shouldn’t be a Republican briefing.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this. This is highly unusual that you would have such a briefing in the middle of an investigation, highly unusual. And that it should be partisan is just totally unacceptable,” she later added.
Following outcry from Democrats on the partisan briefing, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it is working to brief the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” before the Memorial Day recess.
Pelosi said that the Gang of Eight, a group consisting of top Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate intelligence committee as well as congressional leaders from both parties, would be the “appropriate venue” should there be a such a briefing.
Pelosi added that if the Republican briefing occurs, it “puts a nix on a Gang of Eight briefing.”
Gun control
Less than a week after the latest mass shooting in Texas, one of the student survivors asked Pelosi about the government’s position on arming teachers in school.
“I do not support arming teachers,” Pelosi told Alexis Wilson.
However, when pressed by CNN’s Chris Cuomo about adding security in schools, the Democratic leader noted that Congress provided funding in the most recent omnibus package for schools, to “give them an opportunity to secure them, and those schools have to make those decisions.”
“But the children should not have to be worried about going to school at a place that violence can occur,” Pelosi said. “That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take the precautions, whether it’s through infrastructure or whatever else they may decide that they need. But I don’t think you should consider it, in any way, an answer to what we have to do to have responsible background checks.”
Immigration reform
Pelosi also discussed the future of immigration reform on Wednesday night, where she said Congress is “very close to having a bipartisan agreement.”
All eyes were on Congress to pass immigration reform after Trump put the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program into the hands of lawmakers. However, current GOP infighting has already pushed some Republicans to sign on to a petition that could force a floor vote on various competing immigration bills.
“We have like 90-some percent of the Democrats and we’re trying to get 10% of the Republicans to join us,” Pelosi said.
Cuomo then asked Pelosi if she thought they would be able to get all of the Democratic caucus on board.
Pelosi said: “Well, I think we should, I think we will.”
Impeachment
Pelosi also reiterated Wednesday that she doesn’t believe Democrats should campaign on impeaching President Donald Trump.
“I do not think that impeachment is a policy agenda,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi pointed to the ongoing special counsel investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, saying the investigation should “take its course” before people judge the outcome.
“Impeachment is, to me, divisive,” Pelosi said. “Again, if the facts are there, if the facts are there, then this would have to be bipartisan to go forward, but if it is viewed as partisan, it will divide the country, and I just don’t think that’s what we should do.”
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Pamela Brown, Jeremy Herb, Kevin Liptak and Sarah Westwood contributed to this report.