House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Trump after he refused to commit to ensuring a peaceful transfer of power, saying he is trying to “have the Constitution swallow Clorox.”
When asked if Trump would accept a peaceful transfer of power, Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters, “It’s really sad you even have to ask that question.”
“We know who he admires. [Vladimir] Putin. Kim Jong-un. [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” she continued. “You are not in Russia. He is not in North Korea. He is not in Turkey.
“He’s trying to have the Constitution of the United States swallow Clorox,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi also quelled the idea that the House of Representatives would bring forth a second round of impeachment charges against the president.
“I don’t think he’s worth the trouble at this point,” she said.
Pelosi, in an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday, was asked whether she and other House Democrats would move to impeach the president or Attorney General Bill Barr in an effort to prevent the Senate from acting.
“We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country,” Pelosi said. “This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election.”
TRUMP BLASTS BALLOTS WHEN ASKED ABOUT ELECTION AFTERMATH: 'THE BALLOTS ARE A DISASTER'
On Wednesday, the president appeared to sidestep a question from a reporter on his willingness to commit to a peaceful transfer of power "win, lose or draw" in this election by repeating his unsubstantiated claim that mail-in voting could lead to widespread voter fraud.
“We're going to have to see what happens," Trump said during the White House news conference. "You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster."
The reporter, Brian Karem of Playboy, pressed the president, noting the anti-police riots that have plagued some American cities over the summer.
“Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation,” Trump said, referring to mail-in ballots. “The ballots are out of control. You know it, and you know who knows it better than anyone else? The Democrats know it better than anyone else.”
Trump also stressed the need to quickly appoint his soon-to-be-announced pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court to avoid a four-four split on a potential election-related issue.
MCCARTHY THREATENS MOTION TO OUST PELOSI IF SHE TRIES TO IMPEACH TRUMP TO DELAY SCOTUS NOMINATION
In July, Trump told Fox News’ Chris Wallace he wouldn’t commit to accepting the results of the 2020 election prematurely.
“I’m not going to just say yes, I’m not going to say no, and I didn’t last time, either,” he said
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah, also criticized the president’s words, writing in a tweet, “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.”
Election experts concede that voting by mail is more susceptible to fraud than casting a ballot in person, but they say they have seen no evidence of widespread fraud or that absentee balloting favors Democrats. But the massive increase in absentee balloting places an extra burden on already stressed-out state and county election officials and on a U.S. Postal Service facing financial and manpower deficits.
Fox News' Brie Stimson and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.