House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff claimed Sunday morning that if House Democrats failed to move forward with impeachment, he was certain President Donald Trump would commit “more egregious acts.”
Schiff spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper during the opening segments of “State of the Union,” giving an update on the recent public impeachment hearings held by his committee and talking about what the next steps might be.
WATCH:
Tapper pressed Schiff on the political aspect of impeachment, pointing out the fact that support for the process has waned particularly in key battleground states like Wisconsin. “Even if it costs you support, Democratic support in the House of Representatives, ultimately you could lose the House … and it makes President Trump stronger.”
“The public support for impeachment has grown fairly dramatically in the last two months,” Schiff protested. “Whether it is now essentially at a plateau or whether it will continue to grow or shrink, I don’t think it is really the question we should be asking.” (RELATED: ‘It’s Over’: Ken Starr Says No Doubt Schiff Will Move On Articles Of Impeachment After Sondland Testimony)
The chairman went on to argue that proceeding with the impeachment inquiry should not be about politics but about what he believed was a constitutional duty to restrain President Trump. “If there is not some deterrent, even if it doesn’t mean that the Republicans provide the kind of support for the Constitution that they should, if there isn’t some deterrent we can darn well be sure this president will commit even more egregious acts in the months ahead,” he concluded.