Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff claimed Sunday that Iran is “humiliated” and “the risk … is greater now” because of the Trump administration’s actions.
He was speaking of the recent attack ordered by President Donald Trump that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force terrorism unit.
Speaking to CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, predicted that Iran will shift to covert actions against the United States. “Well, I think what we are likely to see at least in the near term is the end of Iran’s overt attacks like the missile attack on our bases … and the risk to American troops and American civilians is greater now because of this administration’s actions,” he said.
“Iran has been humiliated by this taking out of their top leadership, but also by their disastrous shoot down of this civilian aircraft. That makes them, I think, more dangerous and provocative in the sense that we may very well see covert retaliation against the United States.” (RELATED: Trump Reluctant To Share Intelligence With Democrats Because of ‘Crooked, Corrupt’ Adam Schiff)
Schiff also disputed claims from Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Iran was plotting “imminent” actions against the United States, including the bombing of one or more embassies.
The congressman said a national security briefing his week was short on specifics. “I don’t recall frankly in that briefing there being a specific discussion about bombing the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The briefing was much more along the lines, frankly of something that Secretary Pompeo admitted the other day when he said that we don’t know precisely where and we don’t know precisely when.”
“They didn’t have specificity so when you hear the president out there on Fox [News] he is fudging the intelligence. I mean when you hear the Secretary [of State] say, ‘well, that wasn’t what the intelligence said but that’s my personal belief,’ he is fudging.” (RELATED: ‘You Little Pencil Neck,’ Trump Criticizes Adam Schiff At Toledo, Ohio Rally)
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks about the Trump administration’s Cuba policy during a press briefing at the U.S. Department of State, Apr. 17, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
When asked if “fudging” constitutes lying, Schiff responded, “Well, you know, you can certainly put it that way, but frankly I think what they are doing is they are overstating and exaggerating what the intelligence shows, and when you are talking about justifying acts that might write us into warfare with Iran, that’s a dangerous thing to do.”
During a Toledo, Ohio rally on Thursday Trump said Democrats cannot be trusted to share intelligence with before a major action because they “call up the fake news” and share the information.
Trump suggested again during a Friday interview that Democrats leak intelligence to friendly media. “They leak. Anything we give will be leaked immediately,” he told “The Ingraham Angle.”