Schiff: Accusing Trump of Russia Collusion Was Not ‘an Overstatement’ on My Part

Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he did not overstate President-elect Donald Trump’s collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign.

Host Jake Tapper said, “I’m looking at these nominees, Tulsi Gabbard to be director of National Intelligence possibly Kash Patel to be head of the FBI. Gaetz at DOJ, RFK Jr. at HHS and others and obviously he is bringing a group of people to disrupt. I mean, that is what Speaker Johnson said. I’m wondering about how much anybody in Washington is is being introspective at all about why there is this kind of opening for disruptors, if not necessarily these individuals. You were for in their view, holding positions of power during the Trump presidency as as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and according to them, quote abusing this trust by saying there was evidence of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. I wonder if you are feeling at all introspective at all about that? That was according to your according to the Mueller report and according to your your Republican colleagues, an overstatement. And I wonder if you think in any way you you helped set the table for these disruptors?”

Schiff said, “You know, first of all, it wasn’t an overstatement. There is evidence of collusion. The Trump campaign manager was meeting with Russian intelligence and giving them internal polling data just to give you one example. The Mueller report sets all this out.”

Tapper said, “It does say, ‘The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,’ which doesn’t mean that he didn’t know that there weren’t meetings.”

Schiff said, “He says that, too. He says the fact that we didn’t find proof beyond a reasonable doubt doesn’t mean there wasn’t evidence of conspiracy or coordination.”

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