House Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) dropped some bad news on Trump and the GOP by stating that the Mueller report is not the evidence.
Adam Schiff: The Mueller Report Is An Evidence Summary, Not The Evidence
Transcript via Meet The Press:
CHUCK TODD:
James Comey testified two days after announcing the decision on Hillary Clinton back in 2016. Robert Mueller, let’s see, the Mueller report got submitted sometime in the spring. We’ve changed seasons since. It is now, it took until almost essentially four months. Obviously, you wish it had been sooner. Could you guys have done more to have made this happen sooner? And was it a mistake to let it go this long?
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REP. ADAM SCHIFF:
I’m not sure what more we could’ve done. Of course, you know, Bill Barr withheld the Mueller report as long as he could. He put out that misleading summary. He wanted the narrative baked in as long as possible. And this is the same reason why it took so long to get Bob Mueller, it’s taking so long to get Don McGahn and other witnesses. The Mueller report, the American people have to recognize, the Mueller report is not the evidence, it’s a summary of the evidence. And maybe I’m just an old prosecutor, but I’d like to see the evidence. I’d like to hear from the witnesses before we make a decision about charging the president. And so I think where we are is probably most accurately described as preliminary to a judicial proceeding, that proceeding being a potential impeachment. But we should see the evidence. And we’re just starting to. And yes, it’s taken too long, but that has largely been by the design of the president.
Video:
The Investigation Into Trump Is Far From Over
Rep. Schiff’s point was that Republicans are trying to end the investigation without letting Democrats see the evidence. The Mueller report is a roadmap, not an impeachment document. Mueller didn’t offer the definitive statement on Donald Trump’s crimes, and he also didn’t draft articles of impeachment for Democrats. Rep. Schiff and Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler both believe that there is more evidence out there beyond the Mueller report.
The investigation into Donald Trump isn’t ending. It’s entering a new phase.
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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
