White House counsel falsely claims Adam Schiff blocked Republicans from attending classified impeachment meetings
The fact checkers came out quickly in response to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks at President Trump's Senate impeachment trial, Cipollone argued that Trump faced unprecedented violations of due process while the House was conducting its impeachment inquiry last year. He said House Democrats were running the investigation from a "basement" and accused House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) of blocking his Republicans colleagues from entering the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility.
"Not even Mr. Schiff's Republican colleagues were allowed into the SCIF" -- this is a blatant lie from Cipollone pic.twitter.com/A4cWhwRSUo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 21, 2020
As it turns out, GOP lawmakers on the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight Committees were indeed welcome to join those proceedings, and while many of them chose not to attend, several participated.
"Not even Mr. Schiff's Republican colleagues were allowed in the SCIF,"Cipollone said. That's not true. Republicans on House Intel/Oversight/Foreign Affairs were allowed to participate & several Republicans participated in every single deposition.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) January 21, 2020
More stories from theweek.com
Trump suggested Medicare and Social Security are the 'easiest' things to cut. Democrats pounced.
Trump outright brags he's withholding 'all the material' to beat impeachment
#MeToo activists accuse Oprah of throwing Russell Simmons' accusers 'under the bus'
