I don’t think it’s OK either.
I refer to remarks U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, made late last week about several things – all of them backed by evidence — that occurred in the Trump campaign, vis-à-vis Russian interference in our election.
Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, says he doesn’t think any of these things were “OK,” and challenges the Republicans on the committee, who have been challenging Schiff to step down from his chairmanship in light of the Mueller finding, to say whether they think those things were OK.
Clips of Schiff’s remarks have been running over the weekend. I think it’s worth watching the whole thing. It isn’t long. It’s here (and we’ll embed it at the bottom after I explain what led to it).
I found his statement both clarifying and compelling as we await a further, fuller report from Attorney General William Barr on the details of Robert Mueller’s findings. It’s hoped and expected that when we see more, we’ll know more.
In the video, Schiff repeats that he respects and accepts the findings of the Mueller investigation not to charge President Trump with conspiracy or obstruction of justice (although, as you know, Mueller specified that his findings do not “exonerate” Trump of obstruction). We await — pending the release of Mueller’s report – more clarity on that “not charged but not exonerated” thing. But, even in the vague general category of conspiracy (as you know, there is no crime called “collusion,”) Mueller’s full report will be informative.
Among the things Schiff mentions that are not in serious dispute and that he does not think were OK was Trump’s public entreaty (“Russia, if you’re listening …”) to find and release Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s “missing emails.” OK, or not OK.
Schiff mentions other similar matters, in the realm of the established facts of things Trump did, and, in each case, he challenges the Republicans on the committee, saying over and over: “You may think that’s OK. But I don’t think it’s OK.”
If that seems a little in-your-face for the normally cool and collected Schiff, you should know that Schiff’s remarks last week were immediately preceded at the same meeting by a highly personal attack on Schiff by the disgraced former chair of the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, and the reading of a letter that was a unanimous demand by all of the Republican members of the committee that Schiff step down as chair.
To date, Schiff has declined to follow their advice.
Back when Republicans still controlled the House, Nunes had had to recuse himself from leading the committee’s investigation into Trump-Russia matters, even while he was still chair of the committee, after it became clear that his complete pro-Trump bias had cost him his credibility.
After the 2018 election cost Republicans leadership of the House committee, disgraced and recused Nunes deferred to another Republican, Michael Conaway of Texas, to lead the committee minority on matters relating to the Mueller investigation.
It was Conaway, at last week’s committee hearing after the release of Barr’s four-page summary of the Mueller report, who made a formal call on Schiff to recuse himself from further involvement in the investigation, because the Republicans had lost confidence in his ability to lead the committee fairly, noting that the demand had the backing of all nine Republicans on the committee.
It was Conaway’s reading of the demand that set the stage for Schiff’s reply, which you can access here.
[raw]
Mr. Schiff’s little monologue was a breath of fresh air, and did bring a moment or two of clarity to a situation clouded with smoke and mirrors by his Republican colleagues, many of whom wouldn’t recognize fairness if it hit them between the… um… eyes.
Fairness? I’ve given up on fairness. I’m wishing, hoping, praying for just a tiny little bit of decency.
Schiff is one of the few adults in the room.
Mr. Schoch:
I agree, oh, I AGREE!!! It was a breath of fresh air, and I hope and pray that Mr. Schiff does NOT step down as he is being asked to do. We have to have some checks and balances in this country’s government, and so far, at least in this present administration, I am failing to see such a thing as fairness and equality – all that I can see right now are double standards and tribalism, which are threatening to destroy the very fabric of our government as I see it. Our present White House administration reeks of corruption.
I gave up on the REPs years ago, when they started employing all manner of deceit and deception ongoing, as a matter of doing business.
I gave up on Trump back in the ’80s when exposes’ showed the world what a corrupt and dishonest fraud and operator he was.
I gave Schiff a donation yesterday, to show him I stand with him, support him and respect him tremendously. I wish there were many more like him!
The Mueller report is over 400 pages and filled with meticulously amassed EVIDENCE and details, which I’m confident will carefully outline all of Trump’s sins. Especially the counter intelligence section! That’s why the REPs have done yet another about face and are now trying to block it from public consumption. Because once it’s out there, it will be very hard to put the genie back in the bottle. Trump and his base will finally have to face the music/reality. And about d*mn time, I say. The waiting has been excruciating for the sane and learned and rational.
This old Minnesota boy from Nisswa now in Sactown CA says Adam Schiff is a gifted wordsmith and the nine congressmen calling for his departure ought to be ashamed to set foot in the same chamber.
One can only hope that the Republicans on the committee are capable of feeling a modicum of shame. But I doubt it.
I think Mr. Black could find voluminous material regarding equally outrages behavior in the Hilary campaign and the possible unethical and illegal dealings of the FBI, CIA, and Obama justice department.
That is if there was one ounce of curiosity and true journalism left in the media. We do realize that these possible greater offenses or at least equally outrages offenses are not part of Mr. Black’s agenda or much of the mainstream media’s agenda.
Equal treatment may be too much to ask – considering any observer, with any integrity left, will understand that the Media (even the taxpayer subsidized media) were campaigning for Hilary and out to get Trump from day one.
It is evident that this campaign continues.
These claims of Obama admin & justice department corruption are about as true as Trump’s claims about Obama’s birth certificate. Just another nothingburger.
Well, except they magically declined to prosecute the bad actors at major financial institutions, who not only crashed our economy, but developed their businesses into racketeering operations.
But on the whole, Holder was no worse than any other AG, I guess.
Ah, but, Mr. Gotzman, the Russians were campaigning for Donald Trump! That’s a fact, and even Putin has admitted–bragged–in public about favoring Trump in 2016. Everyone who has followed Secretary Clinton’s time in the State Department knows clearly that Vladimir Putin despises her, because she’s strong.
Trump people have tried to muddy the waters by asserting, falsely, that the entire FBI, the entire Mueller team, the entire Democratic Party, the entire Hillary Clinton campaign, the entire news media outside of Fox TV, the entire United Nations, all the countries in NATO, etc., etc. ad nauseam, have conspired to oppose him.
And, Trump can’t get his mind beyond 2016, poor guy.
Case in point: The tiresome repetitions in the second half of all his recent “rallies.” They’re just re-hashes of the empty preenings of his 2016 circuit. BOOOOOring.
Lock him up!
And I’m prepared to bet that Mr. Black could find voluminous material regarding equally outrages behavior in the Van Buren campaign and in the possible unethical and illegal dealings of the Fillmore Justice Department. All that “voluminous” material would be about as relevant as anything about the Clinton campaign or the Obama presidency.
How many times does it have to be said that Hilary Clinton no longer holds public office, and that Barack Obama is no longer President? That neither of them is even remotely likely to hold public office again?
I make no claims about the relative intelligence of liberals and conservatives. At the same time, I know of no one on the left who does not know who the President is today.
Good point. “Yeah, but what about …” isn’t much of an argument. It’s an attempt to change the subject.
It is the only thing they can argue when The Donald tweets out the stupid and outrageous things himself, so they cannot blame the media.
It is avoiding the real issue, and how that seems logical or in any way a counter-argument is the political mystery of my lifetime.
thank you for stating the most relevant point, so obvious it is unfortunate it has to be stated.
We now see a whistleblower come forth with the information that the Trump administration ignored the warnings from security professionals and granted clearance to 25 unqualified individuals. How about dealing with the actual threat to our nation right now than fantasies about people who are no longer in office?
how many members of the Obama administration were indicted? As I recall, there weren’t any. And it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying — remember the hearings on Benghazi, and the lengthy FBI investigation into Hillary’s emails, both by the FBI and Congress? I would love to see Dimwit Don testify to a Congressional committee for 11 hours about anything.
Muddy the waters with false equivalencies and baseless claims. Is this all Republicans/Conservatives have to offer?
Every time I see this I’m going to call it out… you can’t justify any instance of dishonesty or criminality by pointing to some other instance of dishonesty or criminality. Setting the false equivalency of comparing ANYTHING HRC may have done to Trump, even if there are comparisons to be made, there is no moral or rational universe in which such comparison justify toxic, dishonest, and criminal behavior. The fact that sooooo many “conservatives” and Republicans instinctively resort to such comparisons simply betrays seriously malfunctioning moral compasses and rational faculties.
The fact that you’re not the ONLY or the FIRST person to lie, murder, steal, or trample the law and the US Constitution, can never give you license to do so. Anyone who would think that Nazis have given all future governments and politicians a license to do whatever they want is simply a legal and moral imbecile.
thank you for articulating the obvious truth.
50,000 Russian bots would disagree with you on that.
In our current age, to attempt to use the word “media” as a coherent description of anything is simply, clearly, utterly impossible beyond:
“visual and audio communication available on a universal scale”
You know, the last impeachment proceedings were formed about a lie about a legal, but immoral act…
But perhaps times (more likely parties), were different then.
It bears repeating again that Barr was brought aboard for this specific series of events.
Right.
Both the Clinton and Nixon impeachments ultimately hinged on obstruction of justice;
that little detail on which Mueller did NOT exonerate Trump.
What also bears repeating is that the Mueller report will be kept secret until at least January 21, 2021.
I suspect that someone will leak it long before then.
The long slow drip drip drip of information about this matter has allowed Pres Trump’s defenders to pretend it’s all been no big deal. First it’s just rumors, then the truth starts trickling out, and it was just an unimportant low-level over-enthusiastic staffer. Then it turns out Trump did know, that he lied about it, but they say “we always knew about this nothingburger.”
Who are these people that want to live in a country where this is OK?
Russia, if you’re listening, maybe you can find the Mueller report and release it to WikiLeaks …
Very good JE!
Not original.
At first glance Shiff’s rebuttal seem a little long winded. But truth of the matter was there was a lot to go through and it took time. The degree of of corruption is immense. Any and all of it is indefensible no matter how hard some are trying. The flip question op is what is the reason some are trying to defend any of it ?
Schiff, at last a guy that is willing to fight fire with fire, the right wing expected more Nerf balls. Funny how things start unraveling when the right wing MAGA minions find someone holding a 9mm and an AR just like they are! And all along they thought they could just mow everyone else down with their autocratic, might is right, NRA fear tactic driven Machiavellian leadership,
Hear! hear! Dennis! Only maybe go a little easier on the gun violence reference.
Schiff said he knew of direct evidence, he saw, that showed collusion with Trump and Russia. He lied or he didn’t show the evidence to Mueller. Schiff claimed this “evidence “ multiple times on any talk show that would have him. The Republicans, rightfully, questioned his ability to run a committee. Schiff hit every talking point by Libs and MSM (Mueller report showed them not to be accurate) as a rebuttal to GOP unanimously voting to have him resign and the Dems felt good.
Last I heard you actually had to have evidence to convict someone. Sadly our politicians have taken to repeating talking points to excite their base.
You are correct Mr Smith it takes evidence to convict someone of a street crime. A protected pol is quite different but ideally should not be one bit different. It is time for you to clamor and join the chorus to ask for the report where the evidence is seemingly lying (or maybe the other spelling) in limbo. But we cannot see it until we can. But get ready for the jolt…
This pretend indignation and demanding of the report is quite funny considering both the President and his lawyers are fine with releasing it to whomever is authorized from an intelligence standpoint to view all of it. Not sure why any of us think it’s okay to release the classified portions.
Yeah, let’s let a bunch of folks who failed background checks decide what should be classified and what shouldn’t.
The heads of the NSA, FBI, and CIA failed their background checks? News to me. Also the DC circuit court has a lot of say on what gets released such as in the recent McKeever v Barr decision. They all seem quite a bit more qualified on this matter than Rachel Maddow or anyone at The Intercept.