Rep. Adam Schiff defends his stewardship of Russia probe after calls for his resignation

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WASHINGTON – House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff Thursday defended his stewardship of the committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election after Republican members of the panel called on him to step down.

“My colleagues may think it’s ok that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president… My colleagues might think it’s OK that when that [information] was offered to the son of the president … that the president’s son didn’t call the FBI, he did not refuse that foreign help … You might think it’s ok that he took that meeting. You might that it’s ok that Paul Manafort, the campaign chair … also took that meeting. You might think it’s ok that the president’s son-in-law also took that meeting,” Schiff (D-Calif.) said at a hearing.

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) reading the GOP statement calling for Rep. Schiff’s resignation (YouTube)

He added: “You might think it’s OK that they concealed it from the public … You might think it’s ok that when it was discovered a year later that they lied about that meeting and said it was about adoptions. You might think it’s ok that the president is reported to have helped dictate that lie. You might think that’s ok, I don’t!”

Earlier Thursday, President Trump called on Schiff to resign.

Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to key lawmakers on Capitol Hill Sunday that said Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not find any evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials during his 22-month investigation.

In his letter, Barr said that while Mueller’s report did not uncover any evidence that Trump may have broken the law, “it also does not exonerate him.”

Barr has said he will confer with the Department of Justice as to what aspects of the report can be made public.

Schiff has maintained he still believes the campaign colluded with Russia. He and fellow Democrats have insisted that the full report be made public.

Republicans argued that the finding of no collusion should mean an end to Democratic congressional probes into the matter. They have accused Schiff of weaponizing the investigations for political purposes.

Schiff became committee chair in January after Democrats took control of the House. He served as ranking member during the previous Congress.

This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News 

Top photo of Rep. Adam Schiff is a YouTube screenshot