Pelosi noncommittal now, but says using contempt powers to jail Trump officials not 'off the table'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that impeaching President Trump or using Congress‘ inherent contempt powers against his top aides is still "on the table" as Democrats took stock of where their efforts to investigate the president stand.

Mrs. Pelosi, in several appearances, urged patience, saying it was too early to know which direction to go.

"It takes time," she said at an event at Georgetown University Law Center. "We can't have the instant gratification that people want right now."

Democrats are clamoring to find ways to pry loose documents and force testimony from witnesses over the objections of a White House that this week labeled much of those inquiries "harassment."

Several committee chairmen have said they would like to see the House flex its inherent contempt powers to slap massive fines on officials who obstruct their investigation, though Mrs. Pelosi was noncommittal.

"This is one of the possibilities that is out there. I'm not saying we're going down that path, but it shouldn't be excluded," she told reporters. "Nothing is off the table."

One Democrat suggested the House could should avoid impeachment but pass a resolution of inquiry, which she said would strengthen committees' demands as they prepare for court battles.

"We don't want to do any of this if we can have our hearings and have the [executive branch] respond as it should," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. "But we have to do our job."

One of the most prominent demands right now is for the unredacted report by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The Justice Department has rebuffed a subpoena for the full report, saying turning it over would mean breaking the law since the report includes information gleaned from a grand jury.