Nancy Pelosi: The 2021 60 Minutes interview

january 6 should have been a day of ceremony  when congress met in joint session then opened. and counted electoral votes for president and vice  president instead it will be remembered as the day. an angry mob stirred up an aim down pennsylvania  avenue by an election-losing president smashed. its way into the capital leaving five dead the  building ransacked an american democracy under.

siege on friday we joined house speaker nancy  pelosi at the capitol where her influence in. the nation's leadership is growing as president  trump's power support and relevance dissipates. the story will continue in a moment. madam speaker who is running the government  of the united states we have a pandemic. we just had this horrendous act of  violence up here we had a russian hack.

of our institutions is anybody running the  executive branch of the government who is running. the executive sadly the person who's running  executive branch is a deranged unhinged dangerous. president of the united states and only a  number of days until we can be protected. from him but he has done something so serious  that there should be prosecution against him.

well i gather that the 25th amendment is off  the table that isn't nothing is off the table. the mayhem at the capitol started early afternoon  on january 6 with the rioters barreling past the. barricades clashing with police and breaking  into the capitol as they swarmed through. the halls the speaker was on the house floor  during the count of the electoral college vote.

oh look so tell us what happened when when  the uh protesters were trying to get in here. you're up there well the when the protesters  were making the assault on the capitol before. they even got to these doors the capitol police  pulled me from the podium and i was concerned. because i said no i want to be here and they  said well no you have to leave i said no i'm.

not leaving this no you must leave police guns  drawn held the invaders off the house floor but. over in the senate the trump supporters  were able to break into the chamber. the scenes were shocking to watch i think there  was universally accepted that what happened. was a terrible terrible violation of what of  the capital of the first branch of government.

the the legislative branch by the president of the  united states the mob was free to roam the halls. one group making it right up to speaker pelosi's  suite of offices this door they broke down as you. can see oh my goodness they broke that down look  at that they broke the door they smashed it and.

went through to another door behind which pelosi's  young staff coward terrorized the staff went under. the table barricaded the door turned out the  lights and were silent in the dark under the. table onto the table for two and a half hours wow  during which time they listened to the invaders. banging on that door as you can hear on a  recording from one of the staffers phones.

check this out we are inside nancy pelosi's office  across the hall a group broke into the speaker's. private office oh wow oh wow you see  what they did in the mirror there the. glass was all over the place they took uh  they smelled computer and all that stuff. but uh laptop and then the the desk that  they actually were at was right there that. they defamed in that way but feet on the desk  and all that that man was arrested on friday.

and the fbi is investigating whether any of the  agitators some seen in ballistic vests with zip. ties intended to kidnap or kill legislators or  their staffers they were coming to find you maybe. to hurt you i don't know the evidence is now that  that it was a well-planned organized group with. leadership and guidance and direction and the  direction was to go get people they were vocally.

saying where's the speaker we know she has staff  they're here someplace we're going to find them. while all this was going on speaker pelosi and  senator schumer from an undisclosed location. called on the president to tell his followers  to leave the capitol it was a landslide election. and everyone knows it especially the other side  but you have to go home now we have to have peace.

president said go home but the election  was you know you know went on with his. lies his misrepresentations his delusion  that he won a landslide in this election. so finally the protesters were ejected and  you came almost right back into session. how did that happen i know from chuck schumer and  from mitch mcconnell there was consensus that we. should come there there were some suggestions  that it may take too long and we should do it.

at the undisclosed location but there was general  beliefs that it from the message of strength that. we needed to send we had to go back to the capitol  as soon as possible the senate will come to order. vice president pence who had been taken to a  secure location in the capitol concurred with the. decision to resume the count amid reports that he  was livid at the president let's get back to work. work dragged on until almost 4 am i object  as republicans challenge certified election.

results and they did that after the violence  after the violence shame on them and shame won. two-thirds of the republican caucus in the house  supporting those so these people are enablers. of the president's behavior i remember when  republicans in the senate went to see richard. nixon and said it's over that's what has to  happen now one of the reasons she's so eager.

to see mr trump's immediate removal from office  is her grave concern that in the next 10 days. he might try to do something reckless militarily  including ordering the use of nuclear weapons. she told us she sought advice from general mark  milley chairman of the joint chiefs i have sought. information from those who are in a position  to know that there are protections against. this dangerous president initiating any military  hostilities or something worse than that something.

else she and senator schumer did was call  the vice president to urge him to initiate. the 25th amendment that provides procedures  to remove a president from office we were. kept on the line for 20 minutes he was going  to be here in a minute a minute a minute well. he never did it kept you on hold for 20 minutes  at least of course i was i was at home so i was. running the dishwasher putting my clothes in  the laundry we're still waiting for him to.

return the call joseph r biden jr of the  state of delaware has received 306 votes. donald j trump of the state of florida has  received 232 votes after congress confirmed. joe biden's victory in the election president  trump read from a teleprompter offering his most. conciliatory statement about the election a new  administration will be inaugurated on january 20th. my focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly  and seamless transition of power mr trump has.

said he will not attend the inauguration the  new president has said he wants to turn over. a new page of bipartisan cooperation in  the election in november uh someone said. that the uh the mandate that the democrats won was  not about issues because you lost so many seats.

that the mandate was for tone and attitude and  a strong desire for compromise i do know that it. was a mandate for us to go forward with an agenda  for america's working families as well as to do. so in tone we have i always say to our members  we have a responsibility to find common ground. when we can't we must stand our ground but we have  to we have a responsibility to try you yourself.

are not known as a person who compromises no  i am uncompromised we want to get the job done. i'm i'm mischaracterized by the republicans  that way but that's a tactic that they use. now we don't know we want results for the  american people what about the covert relief. package yeah that was held up for eight  months no but that was their obstruction. i understand this oh wait was there obstruction  yours their obstruction no yours too it was.

you held out for eight months no no we held it up  because there was no no respect for our heroes our. state and local healthcare workers police and fire  our first responders our sanitation transportation. food workers our teachers our teachers our  teachers they would not go down that path there's. a member of your caucus who said specifically that  we look like obstructionists and it was a mistake.

but i don't remember anybody saying that and they  may have and they may have but it isn't it wasn't. a mistake and i would not and nobody expects me  to to support something that solidifies injustice. in our country let's talk about the russian hack  there was an invasion a cyber invasion big deal. big deal what should the united states do about  that in terms of the hack that the president.

would not assert his authority first of all he  hasn't said anything no he hasn't said anything. except that maybe china did it yeah what the the  president again has a ten-year blind spot and. whatever obligation i don't know what the russians  have on president trump whether it's personal. whether it's political whether it's financial  i don't know what it is you think they have. something on them but there's no other explaining  why this president united states is such a.

handmaiden of putin can we talk about the a word  what's that age oh age you're 80 right you're. number two steny hoyer is 81 your number three jim  clyburn is 80. uh why haven't you brought young. people into the leadership because we have you  perhaps don't know why does aoc complain that. you have not been grooming younger people for  leadership i don't know you'll have to ask her.

because we are that was kind of sharp kind of  dismissing her i'm not dismissing her i respect. her i think she's very effective as are other or  many other members in our caucus that the press. doesn't pay attention to but they are there and  they are building support for what comes next the. speaker intends to keep the pressure on president  trump to leave office as soon as possible. if he does not resign immediately she has  threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings.

what if he pardons himself what if he pardons  these people who are terrorists on the capitol or. part of he does that he can only pardon himself  from federal offenses he cannot pardon himself. from state offenses and that's where he's  being investigated in the state of new york. there is a possibility that after all of  this there's no punishment no consequence.

and he could run again for president and that's  one of the motivations that people have for. advocating for impeachment won't that take more  than the ten days i mean does it actually make. sense well i like the 25th amendment because it  gets rid of him he's out of office but there is. strong support in the congress for  impeaching the president a second time. this president is guilty of inciting insurrection  insurrection he has to pay a price for that.

more with house speaker nancy pelosi at. 60minutesovertime.com.