Although Republicans are calling for the resignation of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), it is unlikely that he will be going anywhere. The head of the House Intelligence Committee now has the backing of a key member of his party.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has made it clear that she stands firmly behind Schiff, whom she says “we should all be proud of.”
Pelosi backs Schiff
The Speaker offered her support in a Twitter post on Friday praising Schiff’s time as head of the House Intelligence Committee while condemning that of his predecessor, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), author of the Nunes memo on FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign.
“.@RepAdamSchiff’s calm, professional leadership is something we should all be proud of,” she wrote. “Unlike his predecessor, his time as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been a shining example of how to responsibly carry out the committee’s mission.”
.@RepAdamSchiff’s calm, professional leadership is something we should all be proud of. Unlike his predecessor, his time as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been a shining example of how to responsibly carry out the committee’s mission. https://t.co/v30oR8Xi3X
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 29, 2019
On Monday, Pelosi had also dismissed the criticism against Schiff. “Chairman Schiff has done an outstanding job and that’s the reason why he’s subject to these ridiculous attacks,” she said through spokeswoman Ashley Etienne.
In Friday’s message, Pelosi retweeted a post from Schiff. “I say this to the President, and his defenders in Congress: You may think it’s okay how Trump and his associates interacted with Russians during the campaign. I don’t. I think it’s immoral. I think it’s unethical. I think it’s unpatriotic. And yes, I think it’s corrupt,” he wrote.
Trump Enemy
Schiff is one of the Democrats who, from day one, said he was convinced that President Donald Trump’s campaign “almost certainly” colluded with the Russians during the 2016 elections. Accordingly, it is no surprise that Schiff, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has vowed to continue investigating the president despite a lack of evidence found by the special counsel investigation.
Attorney General William Barr, on Sunday, released a summary of the “principal conclusions” of the long-anticipated report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Barr revealed that Mueller did not find any evidence of collusion, and although Mueller left it open as to whether Trump obstructed the investigation, Barr stated that there was insufficient evidence to pursue such a prosecution.
Nonetheless, Schiff remains unsatisfied with the findings of the monumental investigation and is hoping to achieve what the FBI and DOJ couldn’t — a Trump impeachment.
“Even if they didn’t rise to the issue of a crime, it nonetheless could pose a great compromise of our national security,” he told Capitol reporters on Monday.
Resignation Calls
It is Schiff’s own biased behavior that now has his colleagues across the aisle demanding his removal. The president himself joined in on Thursday. “Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress!” he tweeted.
Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2019
But the pressure from Trump and Republican congressmen isn’t bothering Schiff. “I’m more than used to attacks by my GOP colleagues,” he said. “And I would expect nothing less.” And with Pelosi by his side, it is unlikely that he will be going anywhere anytime soon.
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