GOP lawmaker faceplants as CNN's Camerota grills him over Trump aides lying about Russia contacts
A GOP lawmaker who appeared on CNN's New Day to make the case that Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) should step down as the House Intelligence Committee head ran into a buzzsaw of questions from CNN's Alisyn Camerota over why so many of Donald Trump's associates lied about Russian contacts.
According to Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), he thinks Schiff should step aside instead of investigating the president because of Attorney General Bill Barr's opinion that Trump did not collude with the Russian government based upon his review of the still-unreleased report from special counsel Robert Mueller.
After attempting to make his case and accusing Schiff of lying to the public, host Camerota pulled him up short to ask why so many Trump associates have lied and gone to jail.
"This is the part that is confusing," Camerota pressed. "Until we see the Mueller report -- why then all the lying and subterfuge?"
"With what?" Turner parried.
"From the Trump orbit, why did so many people." the CNN host began, before clarifying. If there was no conspiracy, and that's what Robert Mueller, and I agree with you concluded, why all the lying? Why did they not admit, why was the Air Force One statement [on Don Jr's Trump Tower meeting] misleading and false that they crafted. Why did so many people lie that they're now going to prison about it? Why all the subterfuge?"
"You have to ask," Turner attempted, "You have to ask them that, but the one thing that is important about your question is no one was lying about collusion. The people who are going to jail are lying about financial transactions they were doing, business meetings."
"Meetings they had with Russians," Camerota shot back.
"No one is going to jail because they lied about collusion or cooperation before Congress or in any aspect of this investigation," Turner parried. "So that is a misrepresentation of what has happened. That's why Mueller is able to say there is no evidence of it and no one was prosecuted for it."
"Well, they lied to investigators," Camerota tried again.
"And no indictments with respect to it,' the GOP lawmaker demurred.
"They lied to investigators and that's not allowed," Camerota once again pressed.
"I don't know who you're talking about when they say 'they,'" Turner argued.
"Michael Flynn lied to investigators. there were also --," the CNN host reminded him before he cut her off to complain about Schiff again.
"He's actually said he had no evidence with respect to collusion or collaboration or cooperation," he argued. "It is not about Trump/Russia, which is what Adam Schiff and your question was about, which is Trump/Russia. No American has been charged with respect to collusion, collaboration or cooperation with Russia and the Trump campaign and the Mueller campaign. The Mueller investigation put to bed the issue of the campaign."
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