OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Democrat California Rep. Adam Schiff, who announced recently that he’s running for the U.S. Senate, is still facing blowback after he spent years pushing uncorroborated Trump-Russia collusion theories.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently reminded everyone about Schiff pushing the “elaborate and intentional” Russia hoax that alleged that President Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to help him win the 2016 presidential election.
Carlson said that Schiff should resign, especially given he claimed he had seen evidence proving Trump colluded with Russia.
“Schiff knew there was nothing substantial at the core of the Russian collusion story. At the very center, it was hollow, it was a sham. But Schiff never suggested this in public. Instead, he did the opposite. He spent years on television telling you it was totally real, shut up. Every single time was a lie. If you were following this closely at the time, you might have suspected this. Schiff never produced any of this so-called evidence. He just asserted its existence,” Carlson said.
“Adam Schiff is a sociopath. He will do or say anything to achieve power. He is unfit to hold office. He should resign,” Carlson said.
WATCH:
Rep. Adam Schiff was grilled by a CNN host on Sunday over past remarks he made regarding former President Donald Trump and allegations that he misused intelligence information for political gain.
Schiff, a California Democrat who recently was removed from the House Intelligence Committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), spoke to Dana Bash, host of the network’s “State of the Union” program about losing his committee seat.
“You said that there was direct evidence of the fact that Donald Trump colluded with Russia back in 2016. Special counsel Robert Mueller said in his report — quote — ‘The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government,’” Bash said. “Republicans argue that’s proof that you used your position on the Intelligence Committee to intentionally mislead Americans, which is why you should not be on that committee.”
Schiff countered that Mueller’s report did not actually say that — it did — adding that Trump’s 2016 campaign manager shared internal polling information with a Russian agent. “To most Americans, that is collusion,” said Schiff. “Now, whether it’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime of conspiracy — that’s what Bob Mueller was talking about — I have always distinguished between the two.”
Bash then turned to another example used by GOP lawmakers when they talk about the issues they have with Schiff remaining on the Select Committee on Intelligence.
“Ahead of the first Trump impeachment, you said the committee had not spoken to a whistleblower,” Bash said. “In fact, that turned out not to be true.”
“When I was asked the question, I thought they were referring to whether we had brought the whistleblower in,” Schiff claimed. “And I should have been more clear in my answer.”
The host then noted that The Washington Post’s fact-checking team said that his claim about a whistleblower was false.
Democrat Adam Schiff triples down on the Russian collusion hoax. pic.twitter.com/T4HmvT1QVe
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 29, 2023
"Ahead of the first Trump impeachment, you said the committee had not spoken to a whistleblower. In fact, that turned out not to be true."
ADAM SCHIFF: "I should've been more clear." pic.twitter.com/6qZsQbTwdE
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 29, 2023
Here’s a partial transcript:
BASH: And, Congressman, I will start with you. You said that there was direct evidence of the fact that Donald Trump colluded with Russia back in 2016. Special counsel Robert Mueller said in his report — quote — “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.” Republicans argue that’s proof that you used your position the Intelligence Committee to intentionally mislead Americans, which is why you should not be on that committee.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): If you read the Mueller report, he makes clear even in the first few pages of the report that he states no conclusion on whether Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russians. But what he does reveal in his report, what we found in our investigation is that Donald Trump’s campaign manager was sharing internal campaign polling data and a strategy for key battleground states with an agent of Russian intelligence, while that same unit of Russian intelligence was helping the Trump campaign, both with the hacking-and-dumping operation, as well as a social media operation to elect Donald Trump. To most Americans, that is collusion. Now, whether it’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime of conspiracy — that’s what Bob Mueller was talking about — I have always distinguished between the two. But let me just set the record straight. This is only one of a shifting series of rationalizations and pretexts that McCarthy is using.
BASH: Well, let me give you another. He says that this is part of the pattern. Ahead of the first Trump impeachment, you said the committee had not spoken to a whistle-blower. In fact, that turned out not to be true. You know “The Washington Post” said so in their fact-check.
SCHIFF: “The Washington Post” identified that, yes, before the person became a whistle-blower, they sought advice from the committee. When I was asked the question, I thought they were referring to whether we had brought the whistle-blower in. And I should have been more clear in my answer. But, again, let’s be clear what’s really going on here. McCarthy has said Adam Schiff prosecuted the case against Trump. Ukraine impeachment was a hoax. He’s given 15 explanations. The only real explanation is, he needs Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vote. He needs Paul Gosar’s vote. He wants to retaliate for their removal from the committee. And, apparently, he believes I was very effective in exposing his misconduct, Donald Trump’s misconduct. And that’s what they’re trying to stop. So, I think that he benefits from having these smears repeated. And that’s part of what he gains from it. But this is a pretext, and nothing more.
