Democrats need Nancy Pelosi as speaker in order to restore what was lost during the first two years of President Donald Trump's time in office, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the intelligence and judiciary committees, said Thursday.
"In these late innings of the Trump first term, she is the most skillful leader that we have," the California Democrat told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"These candidates all ran on healthcare. She was the architect of the Affordable Care Act. If we have a chance protecting what has been lost, we need her on the mound."
However, there are a growing number of Democrats saying they oppose Pelosi, the current House Minority Leader, from returning to her former seat as House Speaker.
"They claim that she has been a drag on our efforts to win the house," said Swalwell. "That was the case that was also made in 2016 when she won...it's time for us to unite and do the work people sent us here to do."
Swalwell also discussed the president's appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, saying that Trump's early morning tweets concerning special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is evidence that the president made the appointment to end the probe.
"He has fired the person who was recused from the investigation," said Swalwell. "How long will it take for this guy to turn in his homework? He was given the questions six months ago. He is the one driving the direction of this investigation. He could end it if he just sat in that chair and came clean. "