Politics

Schiff Says Impeachment Could Be Used As A ‘Tool’ To Expose Trump’s ‘Illegal Acts’

CBS News via Twitter

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff called impeachment “an additional tool” that can be used to expose the “unethical and illegal acts” he attributes to President Donald Trump.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee was on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday to discuss a variety of subjects, including whether impeaching Trump is a practical option for House Democrats, given that the measure is almost certain to be defeated in the Republican-controlled Senate.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep Adam Schiff arrives on the House floor for an address by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep Adam Schiff arrives on the House floor for an address by NATO … REUTERS/Carlos Barria

“If we conclude that there is no other way to do our jobs, no other way to do the oversight, no other way to show the American people what this president has done — his unethical and illegal acts as outlined in the Mueller report — then we may get [impeachment] … It provides an additional tool.”

Schiff did not specify what illegal acts were revealed in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Mueller’s findings showed no evidence to prove the Russian collusion conspiracy theory that insisted the Trump campaign was working with the Russians before the 2016 election. (RELATED: Democrats Reportedly Continue To Defend Schiff’s Unknown Collusion ‘Evidence’)

The congressman explained the Democratic strategy in the House as “gradually escalating” the pressure on the president by first asking for “voluntary cooperation” and then subpoenas, which Schiff says ineffective. “We followed with contempt; we may even follow with inherent contempt and we have to follow with impeachment.”

US President Donald Trump gestures during a Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Apr. 27, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Schiff applauded Republican Rep. Justin Amash as having “shown more courage than any other Republican in the House or Senate” for the congressman’s statement that Trump has “engaged” in “impeachable offenses.” But Schiff said the decision to impeach the president will be based on the Trump administration’s “maximum obstructionism campaign.” (RELATED: House Intel GOP Calls On Adam Schiff To Step Down As Chairman)

Amash’s statements provoked a torrent of criticism from conservatives over the weekend, most of whom asked what offenses the congressman was referring to.

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