Democratic Party leadership continues to believe that California Rep. Adam Schiff has secret information proving President Donald Trump colluded with Russians.
Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, continues to claim he has “more than circumstantial evidence” in the matter despite special counsel Robert Mueller indicating he could find no evidence of collusion following a 22-month investigation, Politico reported Monday.
Special counsel Robert Mueller walks after attending church on March 24, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Republicans have assessed Schiff’s claims as lies and some, like California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, are demanding that Schiff resign for continuing to flag “evidence” that he refuses to reveal. (RELATED: Rudy Giuliani Demands Democrats Apologize For Advanced Collusion Story: ‘Shame On Them!’)
Schiff remains fixated on the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump, Jr. and a Russian government lawyer that the congressman insists contains “both circumstantial and direct evidence.” On Sunday, he repeated his claim that he had “compelling and incriminating evidence” related to Trump’s purported relationship with the Russians. On Monday, he refused to resign because he’s “been attacked by the president and his allies ever since he took office,” he said. “Nothing new.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi raced to Schiff’s defense Monday, issuing a statement through her spokeswoman Ashley Etienne:
Democrats aren’t going to be intimidated by the White House or congressional Republicans, we’re not going to be distracted from securing the release of the full Mueller report and the underlying evidence, and we will continue to pursue legitimate oversight because that’s what the Constitution requires.
President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, at the Capitol in Washington, DC on Feb. 5, 2019. (Doug Mills/Pool)
House Minority Leader McCarthy said Schiff has had enough time in the national spotlight talking about unknown and unproven allegations and should be resigning from his leadership post on the intelligence committee. (RELATED: Karl Rove On Mueller Report: ‘If There Was Collusion We Would Have Known About It’)
“[Schiff] owes the American public an apology,” McCarthy said. “Schiff has met the standard that he has imposed on other members of Congress when they should step back from their positions. He has exceeded that standard, and there is no question he should step down from the Intel chairmanship.”
White House counsel Kellyanne Conway also called for Schiff’s resignation Monday.
