CNN’s Brian Stelter said Wednesday that the impeachment hearings draw a clear line between Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican California Rep. Devin Nunes, with Schiff speaking for America and Nunes only to Fox News viewers.
The host of “Reliable Sources” suggested in a Wednesday tweet that the “difference between Schiff and Nunes” can be detected in their opening statements. “Schiff is trying to speak to the entire country. Nunes is only speaking to the Trump base and the Fox [News] audience.”
CNN “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter talks to “CNN Newsroom” about Al-Baghdadi raid, Nov. 3, 2019. Twitter screenshot.
Difference between Schiff and Nunes opening statements:
Schiff is trying to speak to the entire country. Nunes is only speaking to the Trump base and the Fox audience.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 13, 2019
Stelter is a consistent critic of Fox News in general and the network’s late night host Sean Hannity in particular. His Sunday show “Reliable Sources” frequently assesses the alleged biases in Fox’s news coverage. During a recent episode, media reporter Oliver Darcy accused Fox News of producing news that is “poison.” (RELATED: CNN’s ‘Reliable Sources’ Continues Network’s Radio Silence On ABC Ignoring Epstein Scandal)
Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has the lead in pursuing the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump and opened the public hearings on Wednesday with a statement that Stelter believes was crafted for the benefit of all Americans.
Chairman Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, speaks during the first public hearings held by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., Nov. 13, 2019. Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS
“Although we have learned a great deal about these events in the last several weeks, there are still missing pieces,” Schiff said. “The President has instructed the State Department and other agencies to ignore Congressional subpoenas for documents. He has instructed witnesses to defy subpoenas and refuse to appear. And he has suggested that those who do expose wrongdoing should be treated like traitors and spies.” (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Compares CNN’s Brian Stelter To Palace ‘Eunuch’)
In his opening statement as the ranking Republican on the intelligence committee, Nunes suggested the current impeachment frenzy is just a continuation on the Democrats attempt to remove Trump from the presidency through outrageous methods.
“We should forget about them reading fabrications of Trump-Russia collusion from the Steele dossier into the congressional record. We should also forget about them trying to obtain nude pictures of Trump from Russian pranksters who pretended to be Ukrainian officials,” Nunes said, adding that the House Democrats “are the last people on earth with the credibility” to impeach the president.