House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has no current interest in pushing for President Donald Trump's impeachment, calling it a "distraction" from economic issues her party wants to highlight ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
"Unless you have bipartisan consensus, impeachment is a divisive issue in the country," the California Democrat said Tuesday at an event hosted by Politico. "Many people would think it's being done for political reasons."
House Democrats from heavily blue districts such as Reps. Maxine Waters of California and Al Green of Texas have called to remove the president from office. But leaders such as Pelosi have shied from the issue, saying that calling for Trump's impeachment could alienate voters in swing districts the party needs to win if it has a chance of winning a House majority in November.
On Tuesday, Pelosi said members can discuss impeachment in their districts. She argued, though, that it's "not the path that [the party] should go on" as Democrats try to resonate with voters about "financial stability" and how GOP policies affect them.
Democrats hope to mobilize opposition to GOP health-care and tax policies this year. They argue the Republican tax plan passed in December — the GOP's signature achievement on which it is running this year — helped corporations and wealthy people significantly more than the working class.
Democrats hope to win 23 GOP-held seats in November to take a House majority.