Adam Schiff's prepared remarks

[Ted King]

I didn't get to see this live, so I was glad to see it here:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/...to-country

At the outset and on behalf of my colleagues, I want to thank you, Special Counsel Mueller, for a lifetime of service to the country.

Your report, for those who have taken the time to study it, is methodical and it is devastating, for it tells the story of a foreign adversary’s sweeping and systematic intervention in a close U.S. presidential election.

That should be enough to deserve the attention of every American, as you well point out. But your report tells another story as well. For the story of the 2016 presidential election is also a story about disloyalty to country, about greed, and about lies.

Your investigation determined that the Trump campaign – including Trump himself – knew that a foreign power was intervening in our election and welcomed it, built Russian meddling into their strategy, and used it.

Disloyalty to country. Those are strong words, but how else are we to describe a presidential campaign which did not inform the authorities of a foreign offer of dirt on their opponent, which did not publicly shun it, or turn it away, but which instead invited it, encouraged it, and made full use of it?

That disloyalty may not have been criminal. Constrained by uncooperative witnesses, the destruction of documents and the use of encrypted communications, your team was not able to establish each of the elements of the crime of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt, so not a provable crime, in any event. But, I think, maybe, something worse. A crime is the violation of a law written by Congress. But disloyalty to country violates the very obligation of citizenship, our devotion to a core principle on which our nation was founded, that we, the people, not some foreign power that wishes us ill, we decide, who shall govern, us.

This also a story about money, about greed and corruption, about the leadership of a campaign willing to compromise the nation’s interest not only to win, but to make money at the same time.

About a campaign chairman indebted to pro-Russian interests who tried to use his position to clear his debts and make millions. About a national security advisor using his position to make money from still other foreign interests. And about a candidate trying to make more money than all of them, through a real estate project that to him, was worth a fortune, hundreds of millions of dollars, and the realization of a lifelong ambition – a Trump Tower in the heart of Moscow. A candidate who, in fact, viewed his whole campaign as the greatest infomercial in history.

Donald Trump and his senior staff were not alone in their desire to use the election to make money. For Russia, too, there was a powerful financial motive. Putin wanted relief from U.S. economic sanctions imposed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and over human rights violations. The secret Trump Tower meeting between the Russians and senior campaign officials was about sanctions. The secret conversations between Flynn and the Russian ambassador were about sanctions. Trump and his team wanted more money for themselves, and the Russians wanted more money for themselves, and for their oligarchs.

But the story doesn’t end here either. For your report also tells a story about lies. Lots of lies.

Lies about a gleaming tower in Moscow and lies about talks with the Kremlin. Lies about the firing of FBI Director James Comey, and lies about efforts to fire you, Mr. Mueller, and lies to cover it up. Lies about secret negotiations with the Russians over sanctions and lies about Wikileaks. Lies about polling data and lies about hush money payments. Lies about meetings in the Seychelles to set up secret back channels, and lies about a secret meeting in New York Trump Tower. Lies to the FBI, lies to your staff, and lies to our Committee.

And lies to obstruct an investigation into the most serious attack on our democracy by a foreign power in our history.

That is where your report ends, Mr. Mueller, with a scheme to cover up, obstruct and deceive every bit as systematic and pervasive as the Russian disinformation campaign itself, but far more pernicious since this rot came from within.

Even now, after 448 pages in two volumes, the deception continues. The President and his acolytes say your report found no collusion, though your report explicitly declined to address that question, since collusion can involve both criminal and non-criminal conduct.

Your report laid out multiple offers of Russian help to the Trump campaign, the campaign’s acceptance of that help, and overt acts in furtherance of Russian help. To most Americans, that is the very definition of collusion, whether it is a crime or not.

They say your report found no evidence of obstruction, though you outline numerous actions by the President intended to obstruct the investigation.

They say the President has been fully exonerated, though you specifically declare you could not exonerate him.

In fact, they say your whole investigation was nothing more than a witch hunt, that the Russians didn’t interfere in our election, that it’s all a terrible hoax. The real crime, they say, is not that the Russians intervened to help Donald Trump, but that the FBI had the temerity to investigate it when they did.

But worst of all, worse than all the lies and the greed, is the disloyalty to country, for that too, continues. When asked, if the Russians intervene again, will you take their help, Mr. President? Why not, was the essence of his answer. Everyone does it.

No, Mr. President, they don’t. Not in the America envisioned by Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton. Not for those who believe in the idea that Lincoln labored until his dying day to preserve, the idea animating our great national experiment, so unique then, so precious still — that our government is chosen by our people, through our franchise, and not by some hostile foreign power.

This is what is at stake. Our next election, and the one after that, for generations to come. Our democracy.

This is why your work matters, Mr. Mueller. This is why our investigation matters. To bring these dangers to light.

I think this guy should lead the prosecution of the impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate.

[Speedy]

Yes, he covered it well. He should run for president. Rep. Nunes’ opening statement was sad.

[deckeda]

Thanks, I didn't see it either.

The disloyalty thing is an excellent way to frame it, because it's far stronger (if a bit rhetorical in nature) than merely saying someone's vaguely a cheater because of these sorta arcane reasons that aren't illegal.

That speech is on-point in every way.

[Ted King]

And I missed Schiff's questions to Mueller after that opening statement. Here's a rundown of what he was able to get Mueller to testify to:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/po...ny-863098/

As the first member of the committee to question Mueller, Schiff simply asked the former special counsel to confirm several aspects of his findings. Taken as a whole, it was the most damning five minutes of Mueller’s time before Congress.

Here’s a list of statements Mueller affirmed as accurate:

- Russia engaged in a sweeping and systematic effort to influence the 2016 election.
- Russia reached out to the Trump campaign as they were trying to accomplish this.
- The Trump campaign welcomed help from Russia.
- Donald Trump Jr. said the campaign would “love” dirt on Hillary Clinton provided by Russia.
- Trump called on Russia to hack Clinton’s emails.
- Trump praised Russia’s release of the Democratic emails hacked by WikiLeaks.
- Trump’s campaign based a messaging strategy around the hacked materials.
- Members of the Trump campaign were trying to enrich themselves personally during the campaign and transition.
- Paul Manafort was trying to achieve debt forgiveness from a Russia oligarch.
- Michael Flynn was trying to make money from Turkey.
- Trump was trying to make money from a Trump Tower in Moscow.
- Numerous Trump associates lied about this, including Flynn, Manafort, Rick Gates, Michael Cohen, and George Papadopolous.
- Manafort encouraged others to lie.
- Mueller’s investigation was not a “witch hunt,” as Trump has claimed.
- Russian interference was not a “hoax,” as Trump has claimed.
- Russia wanted Trump to win the election.
- Russia informed Trump campaign officials of this intention.
- Russia committed federal crimes in order to help Trump win.
- The Trump campaign lied to cover up their dealings with Russia during the campaign.

And then these were his closing questions to Mueller:

Schiff, in his closing questions to Mueller, asked if “knowingly accepting assistance from a foreign government,” to which Mueller responded “a crime.”

Schiff continued, adding that if knowingly accepting assistance from a “foreign government during a presidential campaign is an unethical thing to do.”

“And a crime in certain circumstances,” Mueller responded.

Schiff continued: “To the degree that it undermines our democracy and our institutions, we can agree that it’s also unpatriotic.”

“True,” Mueller replied, in a rare instance of directly answering a question outside the confines of the report.

Shortly after, Schiff questioned whether public officials acting unethically “also exposes them to compromise particularly in dealing with foreigners.”

“Is that true?” Schiff asked.

“True,” Mueller responded again. The exchange continues as follows:

Schiff: That foreign partner can expose their wrongdoing and extort them.

Mueller: True.

Schiff: That conduct can be of a financial nature if you have a financial motive or illicit business dealing, am I right?

Mueller: Yes.

Schiff: It could also just involve deception. If you are lying about something that can be exposed, then you can be blackmailed.

Mueller: Also true.

Damn, that's impressive.

[Markintosh]

Why is Schiff not the Speaker Of The House?

Pelosi had one good moment this year when it came to not funding the wall...but since then she has been just about useless.

[deckeda]

I like Schiff, always have. He's everything Nunes never was and never will be.

Pelosi has kept the minority of Democrats thus far from trying to impeach Trump, thereby losing that attempt in the Senate and likely either the presidency and/or Congress next year in pursuit of pyrrhic and moral victory as Republican shout their extended victories from the rooftops. "Yay."

But other than that, yeah, she's "useless."

Something like 59% of Democrats don't want to impeach Trump today. To-day.

Or, I could be wrong, and a majority of people will be so disgusted with Pelosi they abstain from voting or don't elect the Dem nominee ... all of which begs the question, if a majority of Dems think Pelosi is ineffective regarding Trump, then that means a majority of them want to impeach.

Which they don't. Today. And she knows that.

[vision63]

deckeda wrote:
I like Schiff, always have. He's everything Nunes never was and never will be.

Pelosi has kept the minority of Democrats thus far from trying to impeach Trump, thereby losing that attempt in the Senate and likely either the presidency and/or Congress next year in pursuit of pyrrhic and moral victory as Republican shout their extended victories from the rooftops. "Yay."

But other than that, yeah, she's "useless."

Something like 59% of Democrats don't want to impeach Trump today. To-day.

Or, I could be wrong, and a majority of people will be so disgusted with Pelosi they abstain from voting or don't elect the Dem nominee ... all of which begs the question, if a majority of Dems think Pelosi is ineffective regarding Trump, then that means a majority of them want to impeach.

Which they don't. Today. And she knows that.

Schiff has been the most focused and detailed Trump detractor. He's a special guy.

People aren't sure if once you formally charge Trump with all of his crimes and he emerges as a certain victor, that we will have blown our best chance to ultimately get him.