Trump baselessly claims Adam Schiff wrote the whistleblower report, accuses him of treason
President Trump's press conference with Finland's president was all about him — and Adam Schiff.
Trump met with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Wednesday and then they held a joint press conference — not that Trump really acknowledged Niinistö's existence. Instead, Trump ranted about House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and the whistleblower he doesn't seem to think is real.
The first question Trump got was about an upcoming subpoena from House Democrats, which Trump immediately decried as a "hoax." He then claimed Schiff relayed "a call that didn't take place" when he summarized Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying it "has to be a criminal act," calling on Schiff to "resign," and saying "some people" would accuse him of "treason."
Fox News gets the first question and Trump immediately goes on a lengthy rant. He ultimately accuses Adam Schiff of "a criminal act" and "treason." pic.twitter.com/97fJSFs6SQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2019
Trump also baselessly accused Schiff of helping the whistleblower write their report, an allegation drawn from a New York Times report saying the whistleblower notified Schiff's office of their concerns with Trump days before filing the complaint. The whistleblower's lawyer told CNN Schiff had no role in writing the report. Schiff's spokesperson explained that the advanced notice was a "regular occurrence" under Republican and Democratic administrations, and said "at no point did the committee review or receive the complaint in advance."
Below is the full statement from House Intelligence Committee spox on NYT report re: Schiff getting an account of the whistleblower’s concerns before the complaint was filed: pic.twitter.com/Bvz3mjRCPu
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) October 2, 2019
