Act Daily News
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who additionally sits on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, revolt, stated Sunday that he doesn’t consider the committee’s upcoming report would focus nearly totally on Donald Trump.
Schiff, a California Democrat, instructed Act Daily News’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” that he doesn’t consider a current Washington Post story about how the contents of the report may doubtlessly miss investigations in different areas.
“No, I mean – I certainly hope not,” Schiff stated. “I would like to see our report be as broad and inclusive as possible. We are discussing as a committee among the members what belongs in the body of the report, what belongs in the appendices of the report, what is beyond the scope of our investigation, and we’ll reach those decisions in a collaborative manner.”
Schiff additionally defended the committee in response to an announcement from Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney’s spokesperson accusing staffers of making an attempt to slide “liberal biases” into the report.
“I don’t think the back and forth is particularly helpful to the committee and I don’t want to engage in it. We’re gonna get to consensus on the report. We’re very close to that now. We’re close to the putting down the pen,” Schiff stated.
Bash requested about stress surrounding Cheney, asking Schiff a couple of quote within the Post story during which one former staffer stated that folks working for the committee turned “discouraged” after they felt the investigation had develop into a “Cheney 2024 campaign affair.”
“I’ve never viewed it that way,” Schiff stated, defending Cheney. “And I think her role on the committee has been indispensable. I have tremendous respect for her and for (Illinois Rep.) Adam Kinzinger. They’ve shown a lot of courage and backbone, something in very short supply in the GOP these days. So the committee would not have been the same without both of their participation and I have nothing but respect for both of them.”
Schiff additionally responded to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy repeatedly saying he plans to strip Schiff of his committees if he turns into Speaker within the subsequent Congress.
“Kevin McCarthy has no ideology, has no core set of beliefs. It’s very hard to not only get to 218 that way, it’s even more difficult to keep 218. That’s his problem,” Schiff stated. “So he will misrepresent my record, he’ll misrepresent (California Rep.) Eric Swalwell or (Minnesota Rep.) Ilhan Omar, whatever he needs to do to get the votes of the QAnon caucus within his conference.”
This comes as McCarthy promised he would strip energy from Democrats, vowing to kick Omar off the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Swalwell and Schiff off the House Intelligence Committee.
When requested about feedback from Rep. Jim Comer of Kentucky, doubtless the subsequent chairman of the House Oversight Committee, blaming Schiff for why he doesn’t consider within the credibility of congressional investigations, Schiff defended himself.
“Comer doesn’t believe in the Russia investigation, he doesn’t believe in Ukraine investigation, he doesn’t believe in the investigation of January 6. And why? Because those were investigations of the serial abuse of power by Donald Trump. And Comer and (likely next House Judiciary Chairman Jim) Jordan and McCarthy will do nothing but carry Donald Trump’s water,” Schiff stated.
When requested if he would adjust to a GOP subpoena within the new Congress, Schiff stated: “We’ll have to consider the validity of the subpoena. … But I would certainly view my obligation, the administration’s obligation, to follow the law. And the fact that they have disrespected the law is not a precedent I would hope that would be broadly followed, but we’ll have to look at the legitimacy or lack of legitimacy in what they do.”