Nancy Pelosi says it's 'so cute' Trump targets James Comey for lying to Congress

WASHINGTON, DC: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the Department of Justice’s prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey as “almost cute,” mocking what she called the irony of President Donald Trump’s administration accusing someone else of lying to Congress.

Pelosi made the remarks on Wednesday in CNN’s ‘Inside Politics’ with Dana Bash, shortly after Comey pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

“The former head of the FBI [James Comey] has been accused of lying to Congress. There’s one point I want to make,” Pelosi said. 

“There is nobody who has lied more to Congress than Donald Trump, and that’s why I tore up his speech because it was a manifesto of lies. I said that at the time. So it’s so cute, almost, that he’s accusing somebody of lying to Congress.”

Nancy Pelosi defends her 2020 decision to tear up Donald Trump’s address

Host Dana Bash noted that Trump had not been under oath during his speeches. Pelosi, however, pushed back sharply.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “He’s the president of the United States speaking to the Congress of the United States.”

Pelosi’s comment referred to her now-infamous gesture during the 2020 State of the Union address, when she stood behind Trump and tore up his speech moments after he finished delivering it.

At the time, Pelosi defended her decision as “the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives,” insisting the speech was riddled with falsehoods.

Donald Trump accuses Nancy Pelosi of ‘illegal’ act

President Trump, however, accused Pelosi of breaking the law by tearing the document.

“Well, I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech,” Trump told reporters then. “First of all, it’s an official document. You’re not allowed,  it’s illegal what she did. She broke the law. I thought it was terrible. I thought it was very disrespectful to the chamber, to the country.”

Republicans at the time condemned Pelosi’s act as a partisan stunt, while Democrats saw it as a symbolic rejection of Trump’s rhetoric.

Nancy Pelosi uses James Comey's case to renew Trump critique

Pelosi’s latest jab came as the Trump Justice Department intensifies its pursuit of Comey, who was charged last month with making false statements and obstruction of Congress.

She also blamed Republicans for the shut down of the government and said it’s their responsibility to reopen it.

“The government was opened and then the Republicans closed it because they did not want to extend health care subsidies,” Pelosi said.

On health care subsidy negotiations, she slammed Republicans.“You don’t expect us to say, ‘OK, we’ll agree to your giving a tax cut to the richest people in America and increasing the cost of health care to open government.’ It’s going to be up to them. They closed. They shut down government. And they’re going to have to open up government,” she said.

Asked about what’s going to drive an ultimate resolution to this shutdown, Pelosi said that it’s up to the people.

“The public knows this is wrong for them. This is a kitchen-table issue for them. They want costs lowered. The Republicans are raising the cost,” Pelosi said.