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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reflected somberly Wednesday on the task before her Democratic caucus regarding the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s conduct on a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"This is about the facts relating to the Constitution, and that is how we proceed," Pelosi told reporters, "with dignity, with respect, prayerfully and, again, worthy of the sacrifice of our founders, the sacrifice of the men and women in uniform who fight for our freedom, and the aspirations of our children so they will live under future presidents who will honor the Constitution of the United States."
Back at the White House, which has adopted no messaging strategy on impeachment, Trump erected his own personal war room on the fly in response to Pelosi's clearly offensive (eh-hum) inferences.
"The Do Nothing Democrats should be focused on building up our Country, not wasting everyone’s time and energy on BULLSHIT," Trump tweeted, "which is what they have been doing ever since I got overwhelmingly elected in 2016, 223-306. Get a better candidate this time, you’ll need it!"
Pelosi was joined at the press conference by Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, who was asked about his response to Republicans who say that Trump's phone call with President Zelensky may have been improper, but it wasn't impeachable.
“It's hard to imagine a set of circumstances that would have alarmed the Founding Fathers more than what was in that call," Schiff responded, "it's hard to imagine a more corrupt course of conduct."
Trump had some thoughtful words for Schiff, too.
“Adam Schiff should only be so lucky to have the brains, honor and strength of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. For a lowlife like Schiff, who completely fabricated my words and read them to Congress as though they were said by me, to demean a First in Class at West Point, is SAD!” Trump tweeted.
Shortly after the Pelosi/Schiff press conference, Trump continued with another dignified round of name-calling from the Oval Office, dismissing Schiff as "Shifty Schiff" and a "lowlife" who should resign and be investigated for "treason." Naturally, all of those musings are insane—just evidence of the fact that Trump is deathly afraid of being impeached and trying to claw the eyes out of the man who's guiding the inquiry into him.
At the press conference, Schiff promised that any "stonewalling" of the inquiry by the Trump administration could be turned into an article of impeachment. “Any action like that, that forces us to litigate, or have to consider litigation, will be considered further evidence of obstruction of justice," Schiff said.
But Pelosi also emphasized that Democrats must be "fair" with their inquiry. "This is sad. We have to be prayerful," she said. "We have to be worthy of the Constitution as we go forward. We have to be fair to the president, and that's why this is an inquiry and not an outright impeachment."