Pelosi: President Trump 'has nothing to show' for 1st month in office except 'fear'

The House Minority Leader said the Trump administration is short on achievements

ByABC News
February 26, 2017, 12:34 PM

— -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said that President Trump will have no positive achievements to point to when he gives his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

"He has nothing to show for it but fear in every way," Pelosi told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos Sunday on "This Week." "To people who are sick -- fear, to people who are immigrants -- fear, to people who are concerned about the greed on Wall Street -- taking us back to where we were."

Pelosi also said she doesn't believe Republicans will be able to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature health care law, as many in the GOP have promised.

"How can they do it?" she said. "They do not have the votes."

"They've been baying at the moon that they had a better idea" than the health care act known as Obamacare, the Democratic leader said of Republicans. "They've come up with nothing ... They don't have a replacement. What they have put forth and outlined will cost more to consumers. It will cover fewer people. It will give tax breaks to the wealthiest people."

The Democratic Party's response to the President Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday will be delivered by former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Beshear's work in Kentucky is "proof positive that the Affordable Care Act works," indicating he was selected to counter Republican's plans to repeal and replace the law. In addition, Nevada immigration activist and "dreamer" Astrid Silva will give the Democrats' Spanish-language response.

Stephanopoulos also asked Pelosi her view on whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself from overseeing the FBI and Justice Department's investigation of Russia's alleged interference in the presidential election.

A leading GOP member of Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, said on Bill Maher's show, "Real Time," on Friday that a special prosecutor is needed.

"You cannot have somebody -- a friend of mine, Jeff Sessions -- who was on the [Trump] campaign and who is an appointee," Issa told Maher. "You're going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office."

Pelosi told Stephanopoulos, "The attorney general must recuse himself ... You have seen a flurry of activities that are completely inappropriate -- encouraging lawmakers, encouraging intelligence officials to say that something is one way or another [about the Russia probe]. Let's have the investigation and find out the truth."

The California Democrat was referring to news that White House staff spoke to both the FBI and the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees about rebutting reports that Trump associates had contact with Russian officials during the presidential campaign.

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