Tag: Adam Schiff

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House Committee Considers Fining Those Who Refuse Subpoenas $25K

Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says House Democrats may consider fining those individuals who refuse to comply with House subpoenas.

Via Talking Points Memo:

“Much as I like the visual of (throwing people in jail), I think it’s far more practical to consider levying individual fines on the person — not on the office — until they comply. Courts use that practice, I think it’s quite successful,” Schiff told Axios Mike Allen. “You could fine someone $25,000 a day until they comply and that will probably get their attention. … You can do that. We’re looking through the history and studying the law to make sure we’re on solid ground.”

The White House has effectively stonewalled House Democrats’ oversight subpoenas. According to Axios, Schiff said Democratic leadership might have to think outside the box and take “extraordinary” action to make sure Congress’ authority is upheld.

“At the end of the day this isn’t just about this president, this isn’t just about these documents, it is whether Congress is a co-equal branch, a co-equal power that can enforce oversight,” he said. “Because if we can’t, it means any future president can act as corruptly or malfeasant as they want. And there’s simply no accountability.”

The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress over his handling of the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested the House might vote to hold others in contempt as well.

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Adam Schiff: The Way To Deal With Trump Is “Vote His Ass Out Of Office”

Rep. Adam Schiff

During an appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told Bill Maher that impeaching Donald Trump may not happen but there is an eventual solution, “vote his ass out of office.”

“I’m not there yet on impeachment. I may get there, he may get me there. But here’s the awful dilemma that we face: if we don’t impeach him, that sends a message that this kind of conduct, this obstruction of justice, this kind of willing use of the help of a foreign adversary, all the lies and cover up, that this is non-impeachable.

“At the same time, if we do impeach him and he is acquitted as he would likely be acquitted, then the message is ‘those are not impeachable offenses.’

“At the end of the day Bill, there is only one way to deal with this problem, whether we impeach him or not, and that is to vote his ass out of office.”

Schiff also shared the opinion of his 90-something father, about Trump, that “if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, he’s probably a crook.”

I agree with Schiff on all of the above.

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Trump Calls House Chairman Investigating Him A ‘Political Hack’

Donald Trump complained again today about so-called 'presidential harassment' when he was asked about the House Intelligence Committee moving forward with investigations into his finances and possible Russian ties.

Donald Trump complained again today about so-called ‘presidential harassment’ when he was asked about the House Intelligence Committee moving forward with investigations into his finances and possible Russian ties.

The ‘presidential harassment’ thing reminds me of the character in Mean Girls who keeps trying to get her invented catch-phrase to become popular. It’s not going to work.

Calling the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), a ‘political hack,’ Trump added, “It’s just presidential harassment and it’s unfortunate and it really does hurt our country.”

Schiff announced Wednesday his committee would undertake a broad investigation “beyond Russia” into whether President Donald Trump’s financial interests are driving his actions.

The committee voted today to fulfill another priority of Schiff’s: releasing the transcripts of all witnesses before the House investigation to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The full, un-redacted transcripts will give Mueller the chance to ‘compare notes’ with his own interviews of Trump allies. Should he find discrepancies, Trump’s friends could be in big trouble. Lying to Congress is a felony.

For his part, Schiff issued his own statement saying, “I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President. Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue. We’re going to do our job and won’t be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks.”

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After Calling For Decorum, Trump Labels Political Foe “Little Adam Schitt”

Donald Trump

On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the press that Donald Trump was fine with CNN’s Jim Acosta being reissued his press pass to the White House, but there will be rules and regulations on how the press should handle itself because “there should be decorum” at the White House.

Tonight, Trump called Dem Rep. Adam Schiff of California ‘little Adam Schitt.’

The tweet has been up for hours, so if it was a typo/mistake, you’d think they’d have pulled it down.

#Decorum

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Trump Attacks Rep. Adam Schiff, Schiff Claps Back

Rep. Adam Schiff

After Donald Trump attacked Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff as “one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington,” Schiff didn’t hesitate to clap back at the Trumpster.

Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has been a leading critic of Trump and is pushing for a vote to release a Democratic counter-point to Republican Devin Nunes’ three and a half page memo that Trump has declared “totally vindicates” him.

Referencing the hours of unscheduled morning TV time the Donald reserves for himself, Schiff signaled he has no time for such foolishness.

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Top House Intel Committee Dem: Chairman Nunes Trying To “Choke Off” Info To Public

Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff says the chairman of the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, didn’t share info with committee Republicans or Democrats: “All of us are essentially in the dark.”

Schiff also told reporters today that Chairman Nunes has cancelled an open hearing of the Intel Committee to “choke off” information to the public.

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GOP House Intelligence Committee Chairman On Trump Wire Tap Allegations: “Clearly The President Was Wrong”

Congressmen Adam Schiff (L) and Devin Nunes (R)

Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told reporters this morning he thinks President Donald Trump was wrong when he accused President Barack Obama of wiretapping him.

Nunes, an 8-term U.S. Congressman from California, also says he doesn’t believe Trump Tower was wiretapped at all.

“I don’t think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower,” the 8-term Congressman from California told reporters during a joint press conference with Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA).

“We don’t have any evidence” that President Obama tapped Trump Tower, Nunes said. Going further, he added, “I don’t think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower.”

“Now you have to decide, as I mentioned to you last week, are you going to take the tweets literally? And if you are, then clearly the president was wrong,” he said.

Note how very uncomfortable Nunes is here. He can’t even look the reporters in the eye.

As the White House staff has begun parsing the president’s accusations, let’s go back and remember just exactly what it is that Trump is alleging: