House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) responded to Republicans demanding he resign from his position by repeating claims that the Trump Tower meeting was proof that the Trump campaign indeed colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
On Thursday, Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) said Schiff had hurt the intelligence panel’s “integrity” and no longer had the confidence of his peers due to his consistent promotion of the “demonstrably false” Trump-Russia collision narrative.
“The findings of the special counsel conclusively refute your past and present assertions and have exposed you as abused your position to knowingly promote false information,” stated Conaway, who introduced a letter signed by the panel’s nine Republican members that Schiff step down immediately.
In his remarks, Schiff shot back by listing the instances in which Trump campaign officials were in contact with Russia officials, referring to their communications as “not okay. ”
JUST IN: Republicans call for House Intel Chairman Schiff to resign over his rhetoric during the Russia investigation.
Schiff responds by reciting Trump aides’ contacts with Russians: “I don’t think it’s OK … Yes, I think it’s corrupt and evidence of collusion.” pic.twitter.com/VDCTjpqIE2
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 28, 2019
“My colleagues may think it is okay the president’s son was offered dirt as part of an effort to help Trump,” an agitated Schiff said. “You might think it is okay. I don’t.”
The heated hearing comes days after Attorney General William Barr released a summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion. The special counsel concluded there is no evidence the Trump campaign and the Kremlin collude, despite the latter’s repeated efforts.
Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump tweeted that Schiff should resignation from Congress.
“Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress!” the president wrote.
Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2019
However, Schiff has shown no signs that he will leave his post, nor back off of his unproven claims of collusion. In an interview with the Washington Post Wednesday, the California Democrat said he believes “Undoubtedly there is collusion.”
“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 told the Post.
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