House impeachment manager Adam Schiff appeared to suggest Sunday that any Republicans who were angry at his presentation before the Senate must lack moral courage.
“Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd confronted Schiff with the comments from several prominent Republicans — some from swing states — who had criticized him for citing a CBS report they all claimed was untrue. That story alleged that President Donald Trump had warned Republicans in the Senate that if they chose not to vote with him, their heads “will be on a pike.” (RELATED: ‘They’ve Taken Their Best Kill Shot And Missed’: Geraldo Rivera Says Impeachment Is Doomed)
GOP senators are heard yelling “that’s not true” when House manager Adam Schiff cites a CBS report claiming Pres. Trump told them their heads “will be on a pike” if they voted against him. pic.twitter.com/wrXI4KhGPR
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) January 25, 2020
Todd asked Schiff about the Republican senators — namely Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Joni Ernst of Iowa — who had called him out for introducing that report on the Senate floor.
WATCH:
“What do you make of the criticism that some Republican senators didn’t like your ‘head on a pike’ comment?” Todd asked. “Murkowski, Collins and Ernst, all three who might be open to witnesses thought you might have gotten too personal.”
Schiff first appeared to shift the responsibility to CBS, saying, “I don’t think it was personal to refer to the CBS story.”
He then immediately pivoted to the Republicans who had criticized him, appearing to suggest that their lack of “moral courage” in standing up to President Trump was the real problem. “What may be personal, and I think I have to be very candid about this, is I made the argument that it’s going to require moral courage to stand up to this president.”
“Look, it is going to be very difficult for some of these senators to stand up to this president. It really is,” Schiff continued. “There’s just no question about it. And I want to acknowledge that. And I don’t want to acknowledge it in a way that is offensive to them. But I do want to speak candidly about it. And if this weren’t an issue, there wouldn’t be an issue about calling witnesses. If we can’t even get the senators to agree to call witnesses in a trial, it shows you just how difficult that moral courage is.”