In the rising congressional impeachment debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi occupies the hottest seat. Some think she’s burning herself. …
“Pelosi’s arguments against initiating impeachment are so obviously weak,” Susan Hennessey, executive editor of the online journal Lawfare, tweeted. “This is starting to feel more like House Dems actually just don’t know what they’re doing.”
But those seeking to elect a Democratic president and Congress in 2020 feel something different: a deft strategy to temper impeachment fires without extinguishing them. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says Pelosi has handled impeachment “brilliantly.”
“She’s doing a very good job of moving the caucus to a place that works the best for the most members,” adds Democratic strategist Geoff Garin. Buffeted by competing interests, “She’s balancing those things as well as anybody could.” CONT.
John Harwood, CNBC