I Don’t Want To See Him Impeached, I Want To See Him In Prison”: The Story Behind Pelosi’s Private Remark

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*Pelosi’s 2019 Private Remark About Trump: “I Want To See Him In Prison”*

In June 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told senior House Democrats in a private meeting that she would rather see President Donald Trump face prison than be impeached.

The comment was first reported by Politico on June 5, 2019, citing multiple Democratic sources familiar with the discussion. According to the report, the meeting included House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and four other committee chairs.

The exchange reportedly came after Nadler urged Pelosi to allow the Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment inquiry following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In response, Pelosi was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison.”

NBC News later reported that a congressional aide who attended the meeting confirmed the remark. The comment was not made in a public speech or press conference.

At the time, Pelosi had been resisting calls from within her own party to launch impeachment proceedings. According to reporting, her stated concern was that impeachment without broad public support and bipartisan backing could be unsuccessful and could damage Democrats’ chances in the 2020 election and risk their House majority. ABC News reported at the time that close to 60 House Democrats were calling for impeachment proceedings to begin.

Pelosi’s position later changed. In September 2019, she announced support for opening an impeachment inquiry related to Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. The House impeached Trump on December 18, 2019, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He was acquitted by the Senate on February 5, 2020.

Trump was impeached a second time on January 13, 2021, one week after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on a charge of incitement of insurrection. He was acquitted again by the Senate on February 13, 2021.

The 2019 “in prison” remark became one of the most widely cited private comments from Pelosi during the first Trump presidency, reflecting the internal debate among Democrats at the time over whether to pursue impeachment or focus on the 2020 election.