Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff claims that President Donald Trump “believes it is his God-given right to shakedown foreign leaders” in order to get reelected.
The House Intelligence Committee chairman also declared that “the president is furious with me” for forcing the White House to release the transcript of the call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that most House Democrats are now saying produced an impeachable offense.
“The president believes it is his God-given right to shakedown foreign leaders for help on his reelection and he should not be encumbered by the public finding out about it,” Schiff told “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” (RELATED: Rep. Schiff Fabricates What Trump Said In Ukraine Telephone Call Transcript)
Schiff was also asked why he chose to deliberately fabricate the text of Trump’s conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart. “If the facts are as damning as you say, why make up dialogue for dramatic effect, even if it’s a parody as you say?” (RELATED: Rep. Schiff Fabricates What Trump Said In Ukraine Telephone Call Transcript)
Schiff refused to answer the question but agreed with the host that Trump’s conversation was indeed “plenty damning.” The congressman went on to speculate as to “what the president is upset with me about. I can tell you exactly why the president is furious with me,” Schiff said, insisting that he was angry because “I went public” with the whistleblower complaint and forced Trump “to produce that complaint.”
The chairman suggested that Trump asked Zelensky to “dig up dirt on [Trump’s] opponent or manufacture it” even though the transcript does not provide any evidence that the Ukrainian president was asked to fabricate information as Schiff did when he read a false transcript into last week’s intelligence committee hearing. (RELATED: Trump Calls On Adam Schiff To Resign After Fabricated Transcript Reading)
TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a meeting in New York on Sept. 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
Schiff would not comment on whether “any other whistleblowers are coming forward.” But he encouraged anyone else to be inspired by the “courage he or she has demonstrated.”
When asked if he would need to call the president’s lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as a witness to advance impeachment proceedings, Schiff said, “We’ll make that decision down the road.”
The congressman praised the whistleblower for “showing a lot of guts” and said all precautions will be taken to “protect the whistleblower’s identity” given the president’s warning about those responsible for leaking details of the telephone call might be guilty of treason.