Rep. Jim Himes (D., Conn.) said although his investigation of President Donald Trump isn't about his "feelings or retribution," his "lizard brain" would like to see "bad things" happen to the president.
Himes's comments came Thursday evening after CNN's Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer asked Himes if he would like to see Trump in jail.
"This isn't about my feelings or about retribution," Himes said. "Look, the lizard brain that I have says I hope bad things happen to this man because he has been so destructive to our Republic, to the concept of democracy, to the concept that internationally we are a light unto the nations. So, yes, I have my emotional reactions."
Himes clarified, however, that his emotional reaction do not take political precedence in a "nation of laws," and that he doesn't believe it will be possible to jail Trump through impeachment.
"So what I really hope—and this is me personally speaking—what I really hope is that if impeachment is not a mechanism of accountability, and I will tell you flat out that I can't imagine anything happening, anything at all happening that would cause the Senate to convict and, therefore, remove this president, so impeachment stops in the House in my opinion," he said. "My real hope is that in 2020, the American voters look into their hearts, think about the generation that we've been celebrating today, who as young men decided that they would give their lives for this country."
Himes continued to praise World War II veterans, and said that electing a new president is more important to him than jailing Trump, even if it is his desire.
"We're going to elect a different president," he said. "That, to me, that is how this country redeems itself. Whether one nasty individual, you know, spends his years in jail is a lot less important to me than the redemption of the values that animate this country."
Himes's words echo those of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif), who told top Democrats in a Wednesday meeting that impeaching Trump is not enough.
"I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison," Pelosi said, according to Politico.