Last updated on March 13th, 2019 at 11:47 am
Adam Schiff suggested that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should subpoena Trump to testify under oath before a grand jury.
Adam Schiff Calls On Mueller to Subpoena Trump
Transcript of Schiff on Meet The Press:
CHUCK TODD: You know, we don’t know this for sure. But it looks like Robert Mueller‘s going to complete his investigation without subpoenaing the president before the grand jury or coming up with a way to have him interviewed before the grand jury. President Clinton went before Ken Starr’s grand jury.
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If indeed Mr. Mueller decides not to issue that subpoena or figure out how to get the president in front of that grand jury, is that going to have been a mistake considering we have so many questions about whose testimony should you believe: Michael Cohen‘s or Donald Trump‘s?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF: Yes, I think it is a mistake. And I’ve said all along that I don’t think Bob Mueller should rely on written answers. When you get written answers from a witness, it’s really the lawyers’ answers as much as the client’s answer. And here you need to be able to ask follow-up questions in real time. But I think the constraint that Bob Mueller‘s operating under is he had an acting attorney general who was appointed because he would be hostile to a subpoena on the president.
And now he has a permanent attorney general who was chosen for the same hostility to his investigation, who would likely oppose that step. I also think that the special counsel feels some time pressure to conclude his work. And knowing that the White House would drag out a fight over the subpoena, that may be an issue as well.
But I do think ultimately it’s a mistake because probably the best way to get the truth would be to put the president under oath. Because as he’s made plain in the past, he feels it’s perfectly fine to lie to the public. After all, he has said, “It’s not like I’m talking before a magistrate.” Well, maybe he should talk before a magistrate.
Video:
Trump’s Lawyers Won’t Allow Him To Testify
Trump’s lawyers are so worried that the president will lie to Mueller if he placed under oath that they have refused to allow him to testify. There are strong suspicions that Trump has already lied to Mueller in his written answers, and Trump appears to believe that he can lie to Mueller and get away with it.
Adam Schiff was right. The best way to get to the truth is to subpoena Trump and put him under oath. Anything less is giving Trump a forum to lie with zero consequences.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
