OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Democrat California Rep. Adam Schiff is showing his hypocritical side.
In an interview on Sunday he was asked if he would comply with a hypothetical subpoena if Republicans handed him one after they take back the House and he did not give a straight answer.
After criticizing people who did not comply with subpoenas for the January 6 Committee Schiff now says he would have to evaluate the “validity” of such a request.
He appeared on the CNN show “State of the Union” on Sunday when host Dana Bash mentioned the topic of Congressional investigations.
“The incoming oversight chair, James Comer, told Punchbowl News in an interview, ‘I don’t believe congressional investigations have a whole lot of credibility now. I blame Adam Schiff for that, but it’s also both parties to blame for investigations in the past. I want to change that.’ What’s your response?” she said.
“Comer doesn’t believe in the Russia investigation, in the Ukraine investigation, he doesn’t believe in the investigation of January 6th. Why? Because those are investigations of the serial abuse of power by Donald Trump. Comer and Jordan and McCarthy will do nothing but carry Donald Trump’s water. Someone who is sitting down for dinner with anti-semites, who is sitting down for dinner with bigots who won’t condemn them. This is who they’re making common cause with. They will do and say what they need to do,” the representative said.
“We’re out of time but I have to ask. If you are subpoenaed by Republicans when they take over, will you comply?” the host said.
“We’ll have to consider the validity of the subpoena. I would certainly view my obligation, the administration’s obligation to follow the law and the fact that they have disrespected the law is not a precedent I would hope that would be broadly followed. We’ll have to look at the legitimacy or lack of legitimacy of what they do,” he said.
"If you are subpoenaed by Republicans when they take over, will you comply?"
ADAM SCHIFF: "We’ll have to consider the validity of the subpoena." pic.twitter.com/cz40SvcQJR
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 27, 2022
But what did he say when Steve Bannon did not comply with a subpoena in October 2021 when he appeared on MSNBC?
“The report concludes that Bannon should be held in contempt. He failed to appear. He has no reasonable explanation for that failure to appear,” he said.
“The full House will vote to hold him in criminal contempt, and then the speaker will ultimately refer that contempt to the Justice Department, where the statute says that the Justice Department has the duty to present it to the grand jury,” he said.
The Department of Justice did take the case and prosecuted Bannon, who was convicted.
“To me, this is an early sign of whether our democracy is recovering, whether it’s true that no one is above the law, that the rule of law must apply. So we intend to go after anyone who doesn’t provide information that they’re lawfully compelled to, to our committee,” he said.
In November he went further with his comments on those who worked for former President Donald Trump not complying with subpoenas.
“The Republican Party at the top levels, that is Donald Trump, and those around him, seem to feel that they’re above the law and there’s something admirable about thumbing your nose at the institutions of our government,” he said when he appeared on the NBC show “Meet the Press.”
“Bannon did what he did because for four years, that’s what would work. They could hold Republican Party conventions on the White House grounds, they could fire inspector generals, they could retaliate against whistleblowers,” he said. “It was essentially a lawless presidency, and they were proud of it.”
Before the midterm elections, Schiff was reported to be positioning himself as a replacement for House Speaker and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
The Washington Post reported that Schiff’s efforts were “focused on consolidating support among his home base” in California, but that he “has not made an explicit ask for endorsements.” Instead, the Post says Schiff “is gauging members’ interest and planting the seed that leading the caucus is his goal.”
The outlet said that Schiff had reached out to progressive and minority-led congressional groups but that the response to some of that outreach was “tepid.”
