CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash took Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to task over past false statements he made regarding former President Donald Trump and Russia during a revealing interview on Sunday.
Schiff, who was booted off his seat on the House Select Committee on Intelligence by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) amid years of allegations by Republicans that he misused information for political purposes, was put on the defensive by Bash as he pushed back on statements he’s made on the record.
“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 pointed out. “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 denied that Mueller’s report actually said that — though it did — and countered 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.”
“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 his claim about a whistleblower was false.
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Schiff announced earlier this month he will be campaigning for the Senate seat of California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has not announced her retirement.
“Our democracy is at great risk. Because GOP leaders care more about power than anything else. And because our economy isn’t working for millions of hard-working Americans. We’re in the fight of our lives—a fight I’m ready to lead as California’s next U.S. Senator,” he said in a tweet containing a video ad.
“We’re in the fight of our lives—a fight I’m ready to lead as California’s next U.S. Senator,” he said in a video shared to Twitter in which he made his announcement.
He shared a montage of himself being attacked by Trump and various Fox News personalities, then bragged about impeaching the former president while showing several clips of left-wing personalities praising the job he did.
Our democracy is at great risk. Because GOP leaders care more about power than anything else.
And because our economy isn’t working for millions of hard working Americans.
We’re in the fight of our lives—a fight I’m ready to lead as California’s next U.S. Senator. pic.twitter.com/H0Pa0EhhMu
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) January 26, 2023
“The Senate is where many of these fights over the future of our democracy take place,” he said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times prior to his campaign launch. “Some of Donald Trump’s biggest enablers are in the Senate. And I think that is where I can most effectively champion our democratic institutions.”
On Friday, however, Schiff was hit with an ethics complaint by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an organization that has requested an immediate investigation into the use of video footage from the Senate floor in his ad announcing his bid.
Newsmax reported:
The ethics watchdog group sent the complaint to the chief counsel for the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and asked for an investigation into whether Schiff “abused official resources for political purposes” by using the video.
The California congressman announced his 2024 run for Senate on Thursday in a video that was shared on his Twitter account. Footage of Schiff speaking on the Senate floor during former President Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings was included in that video.
“This is a clear violation of House ethics rules and federal law,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of FACT, said in a statement. “Rep. Schiff has been in Congress for over two decades and undoubtedly knows that official government resources cannot be used for political purposes.
“Rep. Schiff must immediately take down the video and cease distribution of the footage, and the Office of Congressional Ethics should move swiftly to investigate and sanction Rep. Schiff for this breach,” Arnold continued.
