Pelosi: ‘Women Are Saying Zero Tolerance…And This Is So Wholesome, So Refreshing, So Different’ – By Susan Jones (cnsnews.com) / Nov 27 2017
(CNSNews.com) – Never mind the unpleasantness involving former President Bill Clinton. Times have changed, and “let’s go forward,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
She also defended Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) as “an icon in our country” who has “done a great deal to protect women” with his work on the Violence Against Women Act.
Conyers, accused of sexually harassing women on his staff, denies the allegations but nevertheless resigned as ranking member of the Judiary Committee until the House Ethics Committee completes its investigation.
On Sunday, NBC’s Chuck Todd asked Pelosi about her defense of Bill Clinton in 1998.
[L]et me just say, the concern that we had then was that they were impeaching the president of the United States, and for something that had nothing to do with the performance of his duties and trying to take him out for that reason.
But let’s go forward. Let’s go forward. I think that something incredible has happened — wonderful is happening now. Very incredible. It’s 100 years — almost 100 years since women got the right to vote.
Here we are almost 100 years later and something very transformative is happening, that is women are saying zero tolerance. No more. And we’re going to speak out on it. And this is so wholesome, so refreshing, so different.
Asked why women could defend Bill Clinton but not Judge Roy Moore, the U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, Pelosi said in the case of Moore, “We’re talking about a child molester.”
Clinton was accused of being a “sexual predator,” Todd reminded Pelosi:
“Why don’t we talk about instead how we go forward?” Pelosi asked. “Nobody’s proud of President Clinton’s behavior at the time, but he was being impeached.”
Pelosi said she agrees that the election of President Trump “evoked what happened” to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“Let’s go forward,” she said. “Let’s talk about — ok, let’s learn from past decisions and go forward.”
So what about John Conyers? Todd asked Pelosi:
“We are strengthened by due process,” Pelosi responed. “Just because someone is accused, was it one accusation, was it two?” she asked. “John Conyers is an icon in our country. He’s done a great deal to protect women in — the Violence Against Women Act…He did great work on that.
“But the fact is, as John reviews his case, which he knows, which I don’t, I believe he will do…That he will do the right thing.”
“Resign?” Todd asked.
“He will do the right thing in terms of what he knows about his situation, that he is entitled to due process, but women are entitled to due process as well.”
Pelosi stopped short of saying she believes Conyers’ accusers: “I don’t know who they are. They have not really come forward,” she said.
She said it’s up to the House Ethics Committee to get to the bottom of the accusations against Conyers, and she said nondisclosure agreements should not prevent the Ethics Committee from hearing the testimony of the people involved.
PB/TK – Oh ‘Botox Nancy’ you pull the Party line just as good as anyone and as soon as people protest, you flip the script
