Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) called out colleague Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for refusing to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating the attacks on Jan. 6.
Jordan was asked if he would speak to the committee, without a subpoena, and had been cooperating, according to chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). However, after President Donald Trump intervened, Jordan said that he would no longer cooperate.
It has prompted attacks from committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who cited Jordan's own words from the Benghazi report saying that the truth must come out. But it was Schiff that went on a full attack against Jordan.
"I have to say I'm not that surprised by it," said Schiff speaking to host Chris Hayes. "You know, he said he had nothing to hide and then he decided, well, I guess I have a lot to hide. It's unfortunate, but it is who he is. And we will do our best to figure out how do we respond to members of Congress who refuse to comply voluntarily, whether that is a compulsion or whether that is trying to find the evidence using other means."
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Schiff explained that Jordan "acknowledged talking to Trump on the day of the attack on the Capitol." There are very few people who spoke directly with Trump and were with him on Jan. 6.
"His decision is not all that surprising because I assume that he reached the conclusion if he came in, told the truth, it would put him at odds with the former president and he just doesn't have the courage to do that," Schiff explained.
He recalled the Russia investigation where Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) called two members of Congress, a Republican and a Democrat, and both came in, giving voluntary testimony.
"And whether it was during Nunes or when I became chair, there was no objection," said Schiff. "They came in and did what they should do. But here, you know, it certainly appears from these two, both [Rep. Scott] Perry (R-PA) and Jordan, that nothing matters quite so much as staying in the good graces of Donald Trump. And, Chris, I have to say watching those clips and reading Sen. [Mike] Rounds statements and seeing him referring to the facts and not in a gaslighting way, you find yourself pleased and admiring that someone can speak the plain truth. The bar has become that low. Speaking the facts about a presidential election apparently now makes you a hero in the GOP. But that's where we are. That's where we are in Trump's Republican Party and it's why it's hard to get these members to come in and testify."
When asked about Vice President Mike Pence and whether they expect him to speak to the committee, Schiff said that he assumes he's making the same calculations that Jordan has.
"I would hope that he would show greater patriotism than someone we've seen with Jim Jordan," said Schiff. "He knows what happened in the election. He knows the pressure campaign he was under. And he knows he could do a service to the country by talking about it but he also knows there's a political cost in doing that. I hope he makes the right decision, that's all we can hope for."
See the interview below:
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