Watching the wailing and gnashing of teeth from Democrats over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocking Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from returning to the House Intel Committee has been an endless source of amusement for many conservatives who remember how the two California Democrats routinely abused their power during the Trump years in order to exact partisan vendettas against their political opposition.
Both Schiff and Swalwell have predictably made big productions out of getting the boot, with Schiff in particular actually pleading his case on the China-controlled/monitored TikTok app and in the process confirming McCarthy made the right call.
And on Sunday, Schiff proceeded to further prove McCarthy’s point about the dangers of having him on the committee when he responded to questions about McCarthy’s claims from CNN’s Dana Bash by again lying through his teeth, on the Russia collusion hoax he peddled for four years as well as the story about the Intel Committee speaking with the so-called “whistleblower” in the first Trump impeachment case before a complaint was even filed with the inspector general:
BASH: Well, let me give you another. He says that this is part of the pattern. Ahead of the first Trump impeachment, you said the committee had not spoken to a whistle-blower. In fact, that turned out not to be true.
You know “The Washington Post” said so in their fact-check.
SCHIFF: “The Washington Post” identified that, yes, before the person became a whistle-blower, they sought advice from the committee.
When I was asked the question, I thought they were referring to whether we had brought the whistle-blower in. And I should have been more clear in my answer.
Watch:
More from the transcript:
BASH: You said that there was direct evidence of the fact that Donald Trump colluded with Russia back in 2016. Special counsel Robert Mueller said in his report — quote — “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.”
Republicans argue that’s proof that you used your position the Intelligence Committee to intentionally mislead Americans, which is why you should not be on that committee.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): If you read the Mueller report, he makes clear even in the first few pages of the report that he states no conclusion on whether Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russians.
But what he does reveal in his report, what we found in our investigation is that Donald Trump’s campaign manager was sharing internal campaign polling data and a strategy for key battleground states with an agent of Russian intelligence, while that same unit of Russian intelligence was helping the Trump campaign, both with the hacking-and-dumping operation, as well as a social media operation to elect Donald Trump.
To most Americans, that is collusion. Now, whether it’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime of conspiracy — that’s what Bob Mueller was talking about — I have always distinguished between the two.
Watch:
Keep in mind that Schiff continues to have every reason to lie here. For starters, he is revered in Democratic circles for repeatedly “going after Trump” during the course of Trump’s presidency even though some of the supposed “evidence” he had against Trump was fabricated out of whole cloth.
Secondly, he’s just declared his intentions to run for the Senate seat currently held by the presumably-soon-to-be-retiring Dianne Feinstein, so he will say and do whatever it takes to stay in the good graces of the people who he needs to get him there.
Adam Schiff knowingly perpetuated the false Russia collusion hoax narrative against a sitting president and got away with it during his time as House Intel Committee Chair because the people who are supposed to hold politicos accountable – the media – were also operating from the same “walls are closing in” playbook.
He deserved to get kicked off the Intel Committee. If California Democrats have any sense of right and wrong left (and I’m highly skeptical of that), they’ll deliver him the ultimate insult by rejecting his Senatorial bid as well. Because we already have enough clowns in the Senate without having to add yet another one to the list.