During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood her ground by saying the impeachment of President Donald Trump is not happening any time soon, despite pressure from members of her own party.
(MORE: Pelosi clashing with Democratic leadership over impeachment: Sources )Pelosi has repeatedly confronted calls for Trump’s impeachment since taking the speaker’s gavel. In the Thursday night interview, she went further in explaining the reasoning behind her belief that President Trump wants Democrats to impeach him because it could benefit him once he is out of office.
"I think the president wants us to impeach him," the California Democrat told Jimmy Kimmel. "He knows it's not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.
"And," Pelosi continued, "there is a school of thought that says, 'If the Senate acquits you, why bring charges against him in the private sector when he's no longer president?' So when we go through with our case, it's got to be ironclad. Ironclad."
The Republican Senate, she added, is "completely in the pocket of Donald Trump."
"And you think those Republican senators, even if they know he committed a crime, will side with Donald Trump?" Kimmel asked.
"They have been every day. Not one of them has spoken up," she replied.
Despite Pelosi's view, Trump on Thursday told reporters he's adamantly opposed to the idea of impeachment.
"There was no high crime and there was no misdemeanor," Trump said when asked about impeachment. "So, how do you impeach based on that?"
"I don't see how... I can't imagine the courts allowing it," Trump said. "To me, it's a dirty word, the word 'impeach.' It's a dirty, filthy, disgusting word," he said.
(MORE: Trump attacks Mueller, calls him 'a true never Trumper' )Kimmel later asked Pelosi if she's currently making "sure everybody's on board" before seriously pursuing impeachment proceedings, which could further divide the nation.
"Well," she said, "we're on a path to gain information. The public deserves to know the truth."
She also added a word of caution, "When you go down a path like impeachment, which is very divisive. It could divide the country."
(MORE: Sen. Elizabeth Warren on The View: If Trump weren't president 'he'd be in handcuffs')Kimmel, alluding to how recent meetings between Democrats and Trump have been tense, offered the speaker a suggestion for her next meeting with him: "Bring McNuggets. It's not going to hurt."