Trump calls for Schiff to resign from Congress
President Trump on Thursday joined the chorus of Republicans calling for Rep. Adam Schiff’s resignation as the House Intelligence Committee chairman refuses to drop his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Moscow.
“Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress!” Trump tweeted.
The president's missive came just hours before Schiff's committee convened for a hearing on the topic of “Putin’s Playbook: The Kremlin’s Use of Oligarchs, Money and Intelligence in 2016 and Beyond.”
Schiff insists there is more for his committee to investigate despite the completion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. The California Democrat is calling for the public release of Mueller’s full report rather than the four-page summary issued by Attorney General William Barr over the weekend.
He said Wednesday that Barr had “attempted to exonerate the President” from obstruction of justice allegations.
“Barr auditioned for the job with a memo saying a president cannot obstruct justice,” Schiff tweeted.
In June 2018, Barr, then a private citizen and former attorney general to President George H.W. Bush, sent a memo to senior Justice Department officials saying he thought Mueller’s obstruction investigation was “fatally misconceived.”
Barr was nominated by Trump for attorney general in December and confirmed by the Senate in February.
“Last weekend, Barr did the job he was hired to do, and attempted to exonerate the President on obstruction,” Schiff added. “The American people must see the full Mueller Report, not a biased summary.”
Mueller spent two years investigating obstruction of justice and found evidence that “does not exonerate” Trump. Barr took two days to set aside that evidence.
The entire report must be published and evidence provided to Congress so the American people can judge for themselves.— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 24, 2019
Barr’s four-page letter on Sunday said that while it is clear that Russia did attempt to influence the election, “the Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government” in those efforts.
Schiff disagrees.
“Undoubtedly there is collusion,” Schiff told reporters in Washington this week. “We will continue to investigate the counterintelligence issues. That is, is the president or people around him compromised in any way by a hostile foreign power?
“It doesn’t appear that was any part of Mueller’s report,” he said.
In his letter, Barr also concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice.
Schiff criticized the attorney general for rushing to judgment.
“Mueller spent two years investigating obstruction of justice and found evidence that ‘does not exonerate’ Trump,” Schiff tweeted. “Barr took two days to set aside that evidence.”
“Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trump’s campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia,” he added. “I trust Mueller’s prosecutorial judgement, but the country must see the evidence.”
Throughout the Russia investigation, Schiff has drawn the ire of Trump, who in November referred to the congressman as “little Adam Schitt.” Schiff was previously the ranking member on the House Intel Committee, but took it over this year after Democrats won the House.
“Wow, Mr. President, that’s a good one,” Schiff fired back. “Was that like your answers to Mr. Mueller’s questions, or did you write this one yourself?”
At her weekly press briefing Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed support for Schiff.
"I'm so proud of the work of Chairman Adam Schiff," she said.
Pelosi said Trump and GOP lawmakers calling for Schiff's resignation are "just plain afraid."
"They're afraid of the truth," Pelosi said. "They're afraid of competence. They're afraid of a leader who is recognized in our country for being calm. Professional. Patriotic.'"
She also called on Barr to release the full Mueller report.
"How can I say this more clearly: show us the report,” Pelosi said. "No thank you, Mr. Attorney General. We do not need your interpretation. Show us the report."
Schiff responded to Republicans calling for his resignation during his committee's hearing Thursday.
"My colleagues may think it's OK that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president as part of what was described as the Russian government's effort to help the Trump campaign," Schiff said. "That when that was offered to the son of the president, who had a pivotal role in the campaign, that the president's son did not call the FBI. He did not adamantly refuse that foreign help. No, instead that son said he would 'love' the help of the Russians.
"You might think it's OK that he took that meeting," Schiff continued. "You might think it's OK that they concealed it from the public. You might think it's OK that their only disappointment after that meeting was that the dirt they received on Hillary Clinton wasn't better."
He added: "You might think it's OK that when it was discovered a year later, that they lied about that meeting, and said it was about adoptions. You might think it's OK that the president is reported to have helped dictate that lie. You might think that's OK. I don't."
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