WASHINGTON – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Sunday defended herself and her place in the leadership of the Democratic Party, saying that the party needs experience as well as new blood.
When asked about assertions that Democrats are out of touch due to current party leaders like her, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, she responded that the party has "plenty of room for all kinds of leadership at every level.”
"Right now we need experience, as well as new leadership," Pelosi told NBC's Chuck Todd on “Meet The Press." "And I was a new leader when I emerged myself. I'm all for that. But that's not the point. The point is who has the leverage? The American people had the impression, some, that Donald Trump was going to give them the leverage when he became president."
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The House Minority Leader also continued her call for an FBI investigation into President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, saying, “I want to know what the Russians have on Trump. We need an investigation by the FBI top financial, personal, political ties to Russia. We want to see tax returns.”
In the two weeks since Trump's inauguration, Democrats have struggled to contend with a Republican president and Congress while satisfying swelling demand from their progressive base to resist Trump’s actions in total.
But Pelosi on Sunday morning still expressed some optimism for issues where Democrats could work with the new administration.
"I think that if we can talk about job creation and infrastructure legislation, that's a real infrastructure bill and not a tax break for his rich friends, then there's something we can talk about," she said. "If we can talk about work and family balance, about childcare and early childhood education, paid sick leave, let's see where we can find that."
