Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff argued that elected officials and President Donald Trump need to be held to “a higher standard than mere criminality” during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“How do you respond to the suggestion made by every Republican on your committee, they’ve called for you to step down, that you going out there before this report came out and saying there’s evidence of collusion and then Mueller comes out and says we don’t find any evidence of conspiracy or even coordination, what you’re saying is irresponsible. You’re muddying the waters. Maybe Democrats got their hopes up?” CNN Host Jake Tapper asked. (RELATED: Schiff: Plenty Of Evidence Of Collusion To Continue Investigations)
“Look, I think there is a different standard between Republicans and the Democrats. The Republicans seem to think as long as you can’t prove it’s a crime, all is fair in love and war, that it’s all okay, what the Trump administration, what the Trump campaign does. I don’t feel that way. I don’t think most Americans feel that way. Jake, what I’ve been saying all along is the evidence that I’m concerned about is in plain sight,” Schiff responded.
“I’ve used those words probably 100 times. If the fact that the president called on the Russians to hack Hillary’s emails, if the fact that Don Jr. said he’d love to get the Russian’s help, all of this is in plain sight. If Republicans think that’s perfectly fine because it doesn’t amount to the crime of conspiracy, then we’re going to part company. I’m not going to stop making the point that we should hold our president, our campaigns, our elected officials to a higher standard than mere criminality.”
Schiff said Wednesday on “Morning Joe” that there was still plenty of evidence to support continuing investigations into the Trump administration after Mueller’s report claimed there was no evidence of collusion with Russian officials according to the summary submitted to Congress by Attorney General William Barr.
“I think what you see in the public record is direct evidence. When the Russians, through an intermediary, offered dirt on the Clinton campaign as part of what’s described as the Russian government effort to help the Trump campaign, and Donald Trump’s son — who played a pivotal role in the campaign — who says, if it is what you say it is, I’d love it, and sets up a meeting to receive it, it is direct evidence of collusion,” Schiff stated at the time.