Pelosi: House will use ‘every arrow in our quiver’ to stop Trump Supreme Court nominee

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Sunday the House had its “options” when asked about the possibility of impeaching President Trump and Attorney General William Barr should the White House and Senate Republicans jam a Supreme Court nominee through the process during a lame duck session after Election Day.

“We have our options, we have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now,” Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” “But the fact is, we have a big challenge in our country. This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election with statements that he and his henchmen have made. So right now, our main goal… would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the American people from the coronavirus.”

When Stephanopoulos pressed again about whether the House wouldn’t “rule anything out,” Pelosi pivoted toward the responsibilities of elected lawmakers. 

“We have a responsibility, we take an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities of protecting our democracy, requires us to use every arrow in our quiver,” Pelosi responded without going into detail of what option are on the table.

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday has thrown a new wrench into the 2020 presidential election, opening up the possibility that Trump would push a nominee through while he still had a GOP-led Senate until January.

When Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi if Democrats, should they win the majority in November, would expand the court in retaliation, Pelosi referred to a court battle over the Affordable Care Act.

“Let’s just win the election. Let’s hope the president will see the light,” Pelosi said. “This is about the people. It’s about their health, their economic well being, the health of our democracy. We have a great deal at stake here.”