Schiff's Actions: Lawful Or Criminal?

In 2019, President Donald Trump accused House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of illegally misrepresenting him and suggested he should face arrest for treason. This was in response to Schiff's characterisation of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a classic organised crime shakedown. Schiff delivered a parody of the call at a hearing, using mobster-like language. However, it is unclear whether Schiff broke the law with his statement, and he faced no charges.

Did Adam Schiff commit treason?

Adam Schiff, the junior United States senator from California, has been accused of treason by former president Donald Trump and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The accusations stem from his role as the lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, as well as his position as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2019 to 2023.

Trump accused Schiff of treason in a tweet, stating:

> "Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement, pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and read it aloud to Congress and the American people. It bore NO relationship to what I said on the call. Arrest for Treason?"

The tweet was in response to Schiff's characterisation of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "classic organised crime shakedown". Schiff delivered a "parody" of the call at a hearing, using mobster-like language to emphasise his interpretation of the conversation.

In the U.S. Constitution, treason is defined as "levying war against" the United States or "adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort". Legal scholar George Fletcher has argued that treason involves a "breached loyalty" and a defendant owing "allegiance to the United States".

Schiff's actions do not appear to meet this definition of treason. While he criticised and summarised Trump's conversation with Zelensky, there is no evidence that he was waging war against the nation or identifying with enemies of the United States. His statements were directed at Trump, not the nation itself, and do not indicate a betrayal of American principles.

Kevin McCarthy, the House Speaker who removed Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee, has also called for Schiff's expulsion and possible prosecution for treason. McCarthy's accusations are based on Special Counsel John Durham's final report on Russian collusion, which revealed that Schiff promoted the now-debunked Steele dossier and repeatedly stated that he had evidence linking Trump to Russia. While Durham's report proves that Schiff made false statements, it is unclear whether his actions constitute treason under the legal definition.

In conclusion, while Adam Schiff has been accused of treason by prominent figures, the evidence does not support these claims. His conduct, though controversial, does not appear to meet the constitutional definition of treason, which requires a direct betrayal of the United States through waging war or aiding its enemies.

Did Schiff misrepresent Trump's call with Ukraine's president?

On September 25, 2019, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff delivered a "parody" of President Donald Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a hearing. In the parody, Schiff said:

> "We've been very good to your country. Very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what, I don't see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you though and I'm gonna say this only seven times, so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of it... on this and on that.

> I'm gonna put you in touch with people and not just any people. I'm gonna put you in touch with the Attorney General of the United States...Bill Barr. He's got the whole weight of the American law enforcement behind him and I'm gonna put you in touch with Rudy. You're gonna love him, trust me."

Schiff's parody was met with some muffled laughter, but also with criticism from Republicans, who took to Twitter to condemn it. Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for Trump's 2020 campaign, said that Schiff had "literally just made up his own transcript."

In a tweet, Trump suggested that Schiff could face "arrest for treason" over his statement about the call. Trump wrote:

> "Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement, pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and read it aloud to Congress and the American people. It bore NO relationship to what I said on the call. Arrest for Treason?"

In response to the criticism, Schiff said that his summary of the call was "meant to be at least part in parody." He added that "everyone understood" that he was "mocking the President's conduct."

While Schiff's parody did include some inaccuracies, it is worth noting that the White House's transcript of the call also cautions that it is "not a verbatim transcript." Furthermore, Schiff introduced his comments at the hearing by saying that he would be outlining "the essence of what the president communicates," rather than providing "the exact transcribed version of the call."

Did Schiff collude with Russia?

Adam Schiff has been accused of colluding with Russia, specifically regarding his comments on investigations into former President Donald Trump's ties to Russia. In 2023, the Republican-controlled House voted to censure Schiff, a Democrat and outspoken critic of Trump, for his comments on the Trump-Russia investigations. Schiff was accused of abusing his position of power during Trump's presidency by claiming there was evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.

However, it is important to note that Schiff did not initiate the 2017 congressional investigation into Trump's Russia ties. The investigation, launched by the House Intelligence Committee, found that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election but did not find evidence of a criminal conspiracy.

Schiff has been a prominent figure in investigations related to Trump, including the impeachment trials and the investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He has faced criticism and accusations from Republicans, including calls for his arrest by Trump himself, who suggested that Schiff committed treason over his statements about Trump's call with Ukraine's president.

In response to the censure, Schiff remained defiant, calling it a "badge of honor" and stating that he would "not yield". Democrats also defended Schiff, characterizing the censure resolution as an attempt to distract from Trump's recent indictment on federal charges.

Did Schiff lie about Trump-Russia collusion?

In March 2017, Adam Schiff stated that there was "more than circumstantial evidence" that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia. He added that there was "evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of investigation".

In April 2017, when asked if there was evidence that Trump colluded with Russia, Schiff replied:

> "I don't think we can say anything definitively at this point. We are still at the very early stage of the investigation. The only thing I can say is that it would be irresponsible for us not to get to the bottom of this".

In June 2023, the House of Representatives censured Schiff for his comments about investigations into Trump's ties to Russia, stating that he "abused this trust by saying there was evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia". However, it is important to note that Schiff, as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, had access to classified information that the public did not have.

In 2019, Robert Mueller concluded his investigation into the matter with no new indictments. Despite this, Schiff continued to assert that there was significant and incriminating evidence of collusion.

Did Schiff mislead the American public about Trump's collusion with Russia?

On June 21, 2023, the House of Representatives censured Adam Schiff for his role as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in promoting the "conspiracy theory" that Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 United States presidential election. The resolution established that Schiff misled the American public with "falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuses of sensitive information" about the election and as part of the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

In a March 22, 2017, interview, Schiff stated that there was "more than circumstantial evidence now" that Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia. When asked whether he had seen direct evidence of collusion, Schiff responded that there was "evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of investigation".

On April 2, 2017, Schiff, the ranking member on the House Select Intelligence Committee, appeared on CNN's State of the Union. When asked if there was evidence that Trump colluded with Russia, Schiff replied:

> "I don't think we can say anything definitively at this point. We are still at the very early stage of the investigation. The only thing I can say is that it would be irresponsible for us not to get to the bottom of this".

In a hearing on September 26, 2019, Schiff misled the public by reading a false retelling of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Schiff delivered a self-described "parody" of the call, stating:

> "We've been very good to your country. Very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what, I don't see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you though. And I'm going to say this only seven times, so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of dirt, on this and on that."

In conclusion, while Schiff did make misleading statements about potential collusion between Trump and Russia, it is important to note that he also acknowledged the early stage of the investigation and the need to continue seeking the truth. The final conclusion of the investigation did not find evidence of a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

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