Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said Sunday that "there was no joy" at the ceremony where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) signed the House's articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
"There was no joy in that ceremony," Jeffries said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. "And from the very beginning through the end, Speaker Pelosi has been clear that we are going to proceed in a very serious and solemn and sober fashion."
Anchor Chris Wallace had shown Jeffries photos of the ceremony, indicating that "all the participants look pretty happy."
"Doesn't that blow a hole in your narrative that the Democrats aren't enjoying the impeachment and the effort to remove this president?" Wallace asked.
Jeffries said that congressional Democrats do not "dislike" President Trump, pointing to bipartisan work on criminal justice reform, the USMCA trade deal, and funding the federal government.
"We don't dislike Donald Trump, but we do love America," Jeffries said. "In America, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States."
Pelosi handed out commemorative pens during the ceremony and posed for pictures with the impeachment managers, including Jeffries. Pelosi's approach to the ceremony drew criticism for its treatment of the impeachment process.
Pelosi previously ordered members of her caucus not to cheer at the House vote to impeach Trump.
Jeffries, who has repeatedly emphasized the seriousness of impeachment, on Wednesday called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) "Moscow Mitch" and suggested he had engaged in a "coverup" to enable Trump. McConnell has dismissed the "Moscow Mitch" label as "modern-day McCarthyism," but it has not stopped congressional Democrats, including Jeffries and Pelosi, from using it on him.