Pelosi on Trump 14th Amendment ruling: Laws are ‘up to the states’ 

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that laws surrounding former President Trump's voting eligibility are “up to the states.”

Asked by George Stephanopoulos, co-anchor of ABC News' “This Week,” whether Trump's involvement in the riot meant he thought he was unfit to be president. “Those laws… they are up to the states, and the states have different laws,” Pelosi said. says. ”

“I don't think he should have been president, but there's still a view in Article 14, Section 3 of the Constitution that says he shouldn't be able to run for president,” she continued, adding that the 14th Amendment mentioned. “Rebellion Clause.”

“But that's not the point. The point here is, again, different states have different laws,” she continued. “California doesn't believe that applies to our state. That's the decision here.”

Last month, Colorado and Maine ruled that Trump was ineligible to run for president under the constitution's insurrection clause and excluded him from their state's 2024 primaries.

Separate rulings by the Colorado Supreme Court and Maine Secretary of State Shena Bellows (D) concluded that President Trump participated in the insurrection through his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The Colorado High Court ruled that he intended to incite political violence and had his supporters rally to the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results.

Pelosi said Sunday that she believes Trump incited the insurrection, telling Stephanopoulos, “I think Trump incited the insurrection, but I still think President Trump incited the insurrection.” [wouldn’t] Stop what's happening as his own people are saying, 'This is your legacy, the smoke coming out of the Capitol is your legacy.' ”

Pelosi opened the interview with an anecdote from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, when she and other congressional leaders urged Trump to call in the National Guard to help stop the riot, which lasted several hours. He claimed to have urged him to do so.

Pelosi did not go into further detail about the 14th Amendment debate, but said, “One thing is very clear: The American people want us to honor our oath to protect and defend the Constitution. That's true.''

Last week, President Trump appealed the Colorado ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Maine ruling to the state's high court. The dispute over the Maine ruling could end up all the way to the nation's highest court, which currently has a 6-3 conservative majority.

Many legal experts have offered predictions about what the U.S. Supreme Court might rule, often pointing to three justices appointed by President Trump. Last week, Trump's lawyer Alina Haba acknowledged the former president's concerns that a judge could rule against him.