Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said Donald Trump’s indictment on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election are “heartbreaking” for the country.
Trump on Thursday faces arraignment on four felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Special counsel Jack Smith said the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was “fueled” by Trump’s ceaseless lies about election fraud.
Pelosi, who was inside the building when the former president’s supporters stormed the Capitol, said it was sad to watch an ex-president get accused of those kinds of crimes.
“It’s heartbreaking for our country to have a president of the United States with this list of charges against him,” Pelosi told CNN’s “The Lead.”
Pelosi added that it was “interesting to see” that the majority of the criminal charges Smith brought against the former president overlapped with the recommendations of the House select committee that investigated Jan. 6.
“I’m so proud of them, their courage, their bravery, and the courage, really, of all of those who are making the case now,” Pelosi said.
Trump is likely to enter a not-guilty plea.
The former president also is being prosecuted in New York for his role in a hush-money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and in federal court in Florida for his mishandling of classified documents.
He has denied wrongdoing and claimed he is being victimized because of his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump also could face an election-related prosecution in Georgia, where Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis has said she’ll make charging decisions this month.