Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., doubled down Sunday on the Russia hoax and said he would go after President-elect Donald Trump for unconstitutional acts.
During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," host Jake Tapper said, "During his campaign, President-elect Trump repeatedly called you the enemy from within, you and [former] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi specifically. And he said this about his enemies from within."
Tapper then showed a clip of Trump, which in its entirety would've shown Trump naming Schiff "the enemy from within" for "the danger he put our country in potentially with Russia — with a phony, made-up deal that he made up with Hillary [Clinton] and some bad people." But Tapper showed a clip from that segment only of Trump saying he would use the military to go after what he deemed the enemy within.
"Do you think that he was talking about using the military against you? And how concerned are you about retribution?" Tapper asked.
"Clearly, that's what he was talking about. Would he go to that length? Would the military essentially fulfill some kind of an unconstitutional order?
"I would hope the military would have more independence than that. Historically, the military has stood up to civilian authority where civilian authority has suggested, as in his first administration, unconstitutional acts.
"Look, I'm not going to be intimidated by anything he says, by anything he does. If I was, I wouldn't be on your show. ...
"Where the president wants to fight prices, I will work with him," said Schiff, who earlier in the interview said people voted for Trump "to reduce prices." "But where the president wants to engage in unconstitutional abuses of power — just as he did in the first administration — I will defend our state. I will defend the rights and freedom of the American people.
"So, yes, that's what he said. That's what he may try to do, but I'm not going to be intimidated."
Tapper shifted to Trump's Cabinet choices, telling Schiff, "I'm looking at these nominees ... and, obviously, he is bringing a group of people to disrupt."
Tapper then pointed out that Schiff was censured by the House last year for his claims that Russia and Trump colluded and said, "According to the Mueller report and according to your Republican colleagues," your Russia hoax claims were "an overstatement, and I wonder if you think in any way you helped set the table for these disruptors."
"You know, first of all, it wasn't an overstatement," Schiff replied. "There is evidence of collusion. The Trump campaign manager was meeting with Russian intelligence and giving them internal polling data, just to give you one example, and the Mueller report sets all this out."
Tapper corrected Schiff, reading a quote from former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr, saying, "'The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.'"
Schiff replied, "Mueller says that too. He says the fact that we didn't find proof beyond a reasonable doubt doesn't mean there wasn't evidence of conspiracy or coordination."
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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