Nancy Pelosi snaps at reporter after question about hating Trump: 'Don't mess with me'
Pelosi rejects claim that impeachment inquiry is based on Democrats' dislike for Trump: I don't hate anyone
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snaps at reporter's impeachment question, insists she prays for President Trump 'all the time.'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., attempted to shut down a reporter on Thursday, telling him not to "mess" with her after he suggested that she hated the president.
"As a Catholic, I resent your using the word hate in a sentence that addresses me. I don't hate anyone. I was raised in a way that is a heart full of love and always pray for the president. And I still pray for the president. And I pray for the president all the time, so don't mess with me when it comes to words like that," she said.
Sinclair reporter James Rosen, a former Fox News correspondent, had asked Pelosi: "Do you hate the president?"
"I don't hate anybody," she initially shot back. She wagged her finger and pointed at Rosen, telling him not to accuse her of hating someone. Rosen denied doing so.
After Pelosi's presser, President Trump appeared to address the issue on Twitter.
"Nancy Pelosi just had a nervous fit," he tweeted. "She hates that we will soon have 182 great new judges and sooo much more. Stock Market and employment records. She says she “prays for the President.” I don’t believe her, not even close. Help the homeless in your district Nancy. USMCA?"
PELOSI CALLS FOR ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP: 'NO CHOICE BUT TO ACT'
The exchange came during the Speaker's weekly press briefing and just after she publicly called for articles of impeachment against Trump -- a significant development as the House Judiciary Committee holds public hearings in House Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry.
"Today, I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment," she said, referring to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
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Thursday's showdown was just the latest of stern condemnations to come from Pelosi. She previously knocked Rosen in November, describing him as "Mr. Republican talking points" after he asked a question about Trump getting the right to confront his accuser in the Ukraine controversy.
In September, she also ripped into a reporter who asked her about the House's action on gun control.
“If you are annoyed with my impatience," she added, "it’s because people are dying because Senator McConnell hasn’t acted. Why don’t you go ask him if he has any regrets for all the people who died because he hasn’t acted?”
NANCY PELOSI REFERS TO REPORTER AS 'MR. REPUBLICAN TALKING POINTS' AFTER WHISTLEBLOWER QUESTION
She's also repeatedly invoked her Catholic faith when getting testy with reporters -- particularly with her stance on abortion.
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The California congresswoman has described herself as a "devout practicing Catholic," identifying with what is perhaps the largest pro-life organization in the world.
Catholic clergy have repeatedly condemned both the act itself and pro-choice political advocacy. Vatican officials have reportedly said Pelosi should be denied the sacrament of Holy Communion and the last pope -- Pope Benedict XVI -- personally reminded her of the Church's stance on the issue during a private meeting.