An Ohio Republican accused Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) of advancing Kremlin interests by accusing President Donald Trump of conspiring with Russia to influence the election he ended up winning.
Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) was among the nine Republican members the House Intelligence Committee to call for the Democratic chairman's resignation, and he accused Schiff of acting like Sen. Joseph McCarthy -- who led the infamous Communist witch hunt in the 1950s.
"Your reactions today were in true McCarthyism, as you chose to attack us, instead of your commitment to national security," Turner said.
Schiff opened the hearing by laying out evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, after Attorney General William Barr claimed such evidence had not been found by special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
"Your opening statements have repeatedly attacked the members of this committee, their motives and their work," Turner complained. "You have transformed the staff of this committee that are prosecutorial instead of working on issues of national security and intelligence, and misrepresented to the American people information that we received in classified sessions."
"You've had this committee diverge from its goal," he added. "It is a danger to our national security, it is a distraction and causes this committee not to function."
Turner then asked two witnesses -- former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and Center for Strategic and International Studies senior vice president Heather Conley -- whether the chairman was acting like McCarthy, but neither was willing to agree.
The Ohio Republican managed to salvage some of his argument, when McFaul admitted that political strife broadly served Vladimir Putin's interests.
"I do think polarization in our society advances Putin's national interest," McFaul said.
