Rep. Adam Schiff, who was recently ousted from his position on the House Intelligence Committee, faced criticism during an interview on Sunday after Republicans accused him of using his position to spread politically charged intelligence information for partisan gain.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Dana Bash, the congressman spoke about his removal from the committee. When asked about his past claims that there was direct evidence of collusion between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, Schiff claimed that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report did not actually state there was no collusion. He argued that even though it didn’t meet the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, it still showed former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort had shared internal polling data with a Russian agent – something he said most Americans would consider to be collusion.
Bash then shifted to another example Republicans have pointed to when criticizing Schiff; his earlier statement that the committee hadn’t spoken to a whistleblower ahead of the first impeachment hearing against Trump. In response, Schiff said he misunderstood the question and should have been more clear in his answer. This assertion was deemed false by The Washington Post’s fact-check team.
Schiff has been at odds with Republicans since being appointed to lead the Intelligence Committee in 2019 due to accusations of politicizing intelligence for political purposes. His time as head of the committee came to an end last week when newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy decided not to reappoint him for another term due to what Republicans saw as continued abuse of power during his tenure in Congress. Despite this decision, many Democrats are arguing that Schiff’s work on Intelligence helped uncover key facts and enabled improved oversight from congressional committees into government operations moving forward. We know the truth is the exact opposite.
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