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Perez Hedges on Support for Steyer's Efforts to Remove Trump: 'I'm Not Talking About Impeachment'

November 12, 2017

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez hedged Sunday on whether he supports left-wing megadonor Tom Steyer's efforts to impeach President Donald Trump, saying "I'm not talking about impeachment" but adding Steyer could do what he wants.

Steyer has already spent $10 million on a national ad campaign calling for Trump to be impeached, and he told reporters last week he plans to spend an additional $10 million on the effort.

In an ad currently playing on television, Steyer asks fellow citizens to join him in demanding Congress impeach Trump, who he calls mentally unstable and in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

ABC's "This Week" played a clip of it, and host Martha Raddatz asked Perez if he supported the effort.

"I've been fighting for organizing. We've been fighting for making sure that people have access to good jobs. We've been fighting for health care," Perez said. "The culture of corruption around Washington, D.C., is very real, and not just the Russian—"

"Do you support what he is saying in that ad?" Raddatz asked, cutting over him. "Would you like him to stop doing that?"

Perez said Steyer has the right to do what he wants, adding he applauded his financial help in Democrats' successful elections last week in Virginia.

"There are a number of people who are, myself included, very, very concerned about the culture of corruption that has engulfed Washington, D.C.," Perez said.

"So you'd like to see impeachment efforts?" Raddatz asked.

"I'm not talking about impeachment, because I'm talking about good jobs for folks. I'm talking about health care for all. I'm talking about making sure that we're fighting for the issues that matter," he said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and other top Democrats have called Steyer's campaign an unnecessary distraction. Steyer shot back Pelosi was "dead wrong."