Adam Schiff clashes with ex-Trump official on The View: 'The credibility of your question is in doubt'
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) faced off against former Trump-era State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus during an appearance on ABC's The View.
Ortagus, who was appearing as a guest host on Tuessday, asked Schiff if he had any regrets about using the so-called Steele dossier as evidence against then-President Donald Trump. Igor Danchenko was recently charged for lying to the FBI for his work on the dossier.
"Whoever lied to the FBI or Christopher Steele should be prosecuted," Schiff replied. "And unlike in the Trump administration, if they're convicted, they should go to jail and not be pardoned. So Donald Trump pardoned Roger Stone for lying, he pardoned Michael Flynn for lying."
"Let's not forget what we learned in that investigation," he continued. "We learned that the Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was giving internal polling data -- campaign polling data -- to Russian intelligence while Russian intelligence was helping the Trump campaign."
Ortagus reminded Schiff that Manafort was fired by Trump "halfway through the campaign."
"The effort to get Russian help continued," Schiff noted.
"You have spread Russian disinformation yourself by promoting this," Ortagus interrupted. "I think that's what Republicans and people who entrusted you as the Intel Committee chair are so confused about: your culpability in all this."
"I completely disagree with your premise," Schiff responded. "It's one thing to say allegations should be investigated and they were. It's another to say that we should have foreseen in advance that some people were lying to Christopher Steele, which is impossible, of course, to do. But let's not use that as a smokescreen to somehow shield Donald Trump's culpability for inviting Russia to help him in the election, which they did; for trying to coerce Ukraine to help him in the next election, which he did; into inciting an insurrection, which he did. None of that is undercut -- serious conduct is in any way diminished by the fact that people lied to Christopher Steele."
"No, I think just your credibility is," Ortagus charged.
"I think the credibility of your question is in doubt," Schiff remarked, prompting applause from the audience.
Watch the video below.
Leave a Comment
Related Post