The congressman expected to become the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is predicting dark days ahead for President Donald Trump, including potential jail time.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California was on “Face the Nation” to discuss revelations this week from federal prosecutors in Manhattan who are investigating alleged Russian collusion by the Trump campaign. (RELATED: Micheal Cohen Pleaded Guilty To Lying To Congress But Not About The Steele Dossier)
WATCH:
Although prosecutors suggested Trump may have violated some campaign finance reform regulations, they didn’t charge the president with any illegal activity. That didn’t matter to Schiff, who has had an acrimonious relationship with the president. Trump recently created a new nickname for the congressman: “little Adam Schitt.” (RELATED: Rep. Adam Schiff Says When He Takes Over, Russia Probe Will Target Money Laundering)
“There’s the very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Justice Department may indict him; that he may be the first president in quite some time to face the very real prospect of jail time,” Schiff told “Face the Nation.” He did not specify about the jail time, but cited comments from the report that “the rich and powerful seem to live by different rules” and the prosecutor’s contention that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen should face incarceration.
Schiff repeatedly referred to the report as “pretty breathtaking” but cautioned that he was not yet ready to advocate for Trump’s impeachment, saying, “I think we have to wait until we have the full picture. Is a crime directed and coordinated by the president which helped him to attain office sufficient to remove him from that office?”
U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington before his departure for the annual Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia, U.S., Dec. 8, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
The congressman also commented on Trump’s selection for attorney general, William Barr. Although Schiff admitted that “there is no question about [his] qualifications,” he was concerned about alleged “bias and judgement” arising from reported comments that Barr has made about former FBI Director James Comey. Schiff said that Barr considers it “perfectly fine for a president to recommend prosecution of his political rivals.”