Schiff: 'Prepared' to force Mueller report release if White House blocks
By Eli Watkins, CNN 4 hrs ago
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters as the Senate takes up a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)Corker responds to Trump tweet: 'Alert the daycare staff'
Michael Bernstein is shown while shopping in Troy, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Bernstein voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and likely would do so again in 2020 if he sought a second term in the White House. Bernstein, 52, points to Trump's success in getting justices approved to the U.S. Supreme Court and the positive economy as evidence he chose the right candidate, but the freelance auto writer from suburban Detroit could do without some of what Trump brings. A small, but significant slice of the American electorate may hold the key to President Donald Trump’s political future. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Trump's reluctant backers start to sour
California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said if President Donald Trump's attorneys try to assert executive privilege to stop the public release of special counsel Robert Mueller's eventual report, he would likely compel publication in some form.
"I'm prepared to make sure we do everything possible so that the public has the advantage of as much of the information as it can," Schiff said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Schiff is expected to chair the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats take the chamber next month, and he said he would likely use his subpoena power to obtain and release Mueller's eventual report if he needed to.
"Now, there may be parts of the report that have to be redacted because they involved classified information or they involve grand jury material," Schiff said, adding, "This case is just too important to keep from the American people what it's really about."
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: Ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks about today's testimoy from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a door session of the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, November 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
© Mark Wilson/Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: Ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks about today's testimoy from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a door session of the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, November 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
In Sunday's interview, Schiff also stressed his concern repeatedly about acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. CNN reported previously that Whitaker disregarded the advice of a Justice Department ethics official to step aside from overseeing the Mueller probe and that Trump lashed out at Whitaker regarding the federal case against his former attorney Michael Cohen.
"This is exactly what we feared about Whitaker's appointment," Schiff said.
He also vowed to conduct oversight of Whitaker and inform the public about the man leading the Justice Department following the ouster of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from oversight of the Russia investigation.
"We are going to scrutinize every single action by Matt Whitaker to make sure that the public knows just what he does," Schiff said.
By Eli Watkins, CNN 4 hrs ago
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters as the Senate takes up a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)Corker responds to Trump tweet: 'Alert the daycare staff'
Michael Bernstein is shown while shopping in Troy, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Bernstein voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and likely would do so again in 2020 if he sought a second term in the White House. Bernstein, 52, points to Trump's success in getting justices approved to the U.S. Supreme Court and the positive economy as evidence he chose the right candidate, but the freelance auto writer from suburban Detroit could do without some of what Trump brings. A small, but significant slice of the American electorate may hold the key to President Donald Trump’s political future. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Trump's reluctant backers start to sour
California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said if President Donald Trump's attorneys try to assert executive privilege to stop the public release of special counsel Robert Mueller's eventual report, he would likely compel publication in some form.
"I'm prepared to make sure we do everything possible so that the public has the advantage of as much of the information as it can," Schiff said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Schiff is expected to chair the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats take the chamber next month, and he said he would likely use his subpoena power to obtain and release Mueller's eventual report if he needed to.
"Now, there may be parts of the report that have to be redacted because they involved classified information or they involve grand jury material," Schiff said, adding, "This case is just too important to keep from the American people what it's really about."
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: Ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks about today's testimoy from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a door session of the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, November 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
© Mark Wilson/Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: Ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks about today's testimoy from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a door session of the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, November 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
In Sunday's interview, Schiff also stressed his concern repeatedly about acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. CNN reported previously that Whitaker disregarded the advice of a Justice Department ethics official to step aside from overseeing the Mueller probe and that Trump lashed out at Whitaker regarding the federal case against his former attorney Michael Cohen.
"This is exactly what we feared about Whitaker's appointment," Schiff said.
He also vowed to conduct oversight of Whitaker and inform the public about the man leading the Justice Department following the ouster of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from oversight of the Russia investigation.
"We are going to scrutinize every single action by Matt Whitaker to make sure that the public knows just what he does," Schiff said.
