>>> IT WOULD BE EQUALLY BREATHTAKING IF WE SAID THE
JUICE DEPARTMENT TURNOVER TO CONGRESS ALL YOUR FILES.
FIRST REACTION WHEN WE GOT THE REQUEST WAS WHY DON'T YOU
HAVE YOUR OWN DAMN FILES? WHY NOT CONDUCT YOUR OWN
INVESTIGATION? WHY DO YOU NEED US TO DO IT?
>> WELCOME BACK TO "STATE OF THE UNION."
I'M JAKE TAPPER. CRITICISM OF THE BIDEN JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, ADAM SCHIFF, HE CALLS ATTORNEY GENERAL THE
APPROACH TO INVESTIGATING JANUARY 6th VERY SLOW AHEAD OF
HIS OWN COMMITTEE'S HEARING COMING UP.
JOINING US THE SELECT COMMITTEE MEMBER CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF
OF CALIFORNIA. MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU REALLY PUT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ON BLAST OVER THE HANDLING OF JANUARY 6th.
THERE ARE SIGNS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S INVESTIGATION IS
RAMPING UP BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOU THINK IT MAY BE TOO LITTLE TOO
LATE. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT GARLAND
AND THE DOJ TO DO THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING APPARENTLY?
>> WELL, I HOPE IT'S NOT TOO LITTLE TOO LATE BUT IT HAS BEEN
VERY SLOW IN MY VIEW IN COMING. WE'RE MORE THAN A YEAR AND A
HALF AFTER THE VEVENTS OF JANUAY 6th AND STILL, THERE SEEM TO BE
AT LEAST FROM WHAT WE CAN GATHER IN THE PUBLIC RECORD AREAS THAT
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HASN'T FULLY INVESTIGATED.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT KNEW FOR EXAMPLE THAT DONALD TRUMP WAS ON
THE PHONE TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN GEORGIA, DEMANDING THAT
SECRETARY FIND 11,780 VOTES THAT DON'T EXIST AND HAVE THAT
INFORMATION FOR A LONG TIME AND I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE
LEFT TO THE FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY ALONE.
IT MAY BE THEY ARE PURSUING THAT AND BEEN PURSUING IT VERY
DILIGENTLY AND QUIETLY, BUT IT ALSO MAY BE THAT THEY'VE BEEN
VERY TENUOUS IN NOT FEELING THE SENSE OF URGENCY MANY OF US DO
ABOUT PURSUING JUSTICE WHEN IT COMES TO ALL OF THE MULTIPLE
ENDS OF EFFORT TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION.
>> THIS WOULD CERTAINLY BE IN CONTRAST WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE
JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE INCLUDING TWO REPUBLICANS.
THE VICE CHAIR LIZ CHENEY SAID AT THE TRIBUTE FESTIVAL, TEXAS
TRIBUNE FESTIVAL, SHE SAID SHE THINKS THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE WILL
UNANIMOUSLY MAKE A REFERRAL OR DECIDE TO MAKE A REFERRAL OR
DECIDE TO NOT MAKE A REFERRAL TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND
SEPARATE HE TOLD ME SHE THINKS IT'S CLEAR DONALD TRUMP DID
BREAK THE LAW. DO YOU THINK ULTIMATELY, THERE
IS GOING TO BE A UNANIMOUS CRIMINAL REFERRAL BY THE
COMMITTEE? >> WE OPERATE WITH A HIGH DEGREE
OF CONSENSUS AND UNAMITY. WE'LL GET TO A DECISION AS A
COMMITTEE AND ABIDE BY THAT DECISION AND I'LL JOIN COMMITTEE
MEMBERS IF THEY FEEL DIFFERENTLY BUT LOOK, I DO AGREE AS THE
JUDGE, JUDGE CARTER IN CALIFORNIA WROTE IN MULTIPLE
OPINIONS THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL LAWS BROKEN AND IT IS, I THINK,
APPARENT THAT THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT DONALD TRUMP WAS INVOLVED
IN BREAKING SEVERAL OF THOSE LAWS AND I THINK WHEN CONGRESS
DOES FIND EVIDENCE THAT PEOPLE HAVE BROKEN THE LAW, IT IS NOT
ALWAYS THE CASE THAT IT MAKES A REFERRAL BUT IN CIRCUMSTANCES
LIKE THESE, I THINK THAT'S THE BETTER PART OF THE ARGUMENT.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN CHENEY SAID AT THE TEXAS TRIBUNE FESTIVAL THE
COMMITTEE OBTAINED 800,000 SECRET SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS
FROM THE PERIOD SURROUNDING JANUARY 6th.
SHE SUGGESTED THAT THEY INDICATE THAT NOT EVERY SECRET SERVICE
AGENT THAT'S TESTIFIED TOLD THE TRUTH.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE MESSAGES SHOW?
DO THEY BACK UP THE STORY THAT CASSIDY HUTCHINSON SAID THEN
WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TOLD HER THERE WAS A
VIOLENT CONFRONTATION BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND A SECRET
SERVICE DETAIL IN THE PRESIDENTIAL VEHICLE?
>> I FOUND HER ENORMOUSLY CREDIBLE AND COURAGEOUS AS A
WITNESS. I'VE YET TO SEE ANYTHING THAT
DISSUADED ME FROM THE VIEW THAT SHE WAS BEING CANDID WITH WHAT
SHE SAW AND WAS TOLD BY OTHERS. I REMAIN VERY CONFIDENT OF HER
TESTIMONY AND WHAT SHE SAID AND YES, I DO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE TESTIMONY OF OTHERS AND WHETHER THEY SHOW THE SAME
CANDOR. IN TERMS OF THE RECORDS THAT
WE'VE OBTAINED, WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THEM.
I WILL SAY THEY'RE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR HAVING THE TEXT
MESSAGES THAT WERE APPARENTLY ERASED FROM THOSE DEVICES AND WE
ARE STILL INVESTIGATING HOW THAT CAME ABOUT AND WHY THAT CAME
ABOUT AND I HOPE AND BELIEVE THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ON THAT ISSUE
IS ALSO LOOKING AT WHETHER LAWS WERE BROKEN IN THE DESTRUCTION
OF THAT EVIDENCE BUT WE DO HAVE A MOUNTAIN OF INFORMATION THAT
WE NEED TO GO THROUGH BUT I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT IT
WON'T BE A COMPLETE SUBSTITUTE FOR SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
EVIDENCE WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THOSE PHONES.
>> AS SOMEONE THAT HANDLES CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ON A
REGULAR BASIS, I WANT YOUR REACTION TO SOMETHING DONALD
TRUMP SAID THIS WEEK. TAKE A LISTEN.
>> IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A P PROCESS AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
DIFFERENT PEOPLE SAY DIFFERENT THINGS.
IF YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, YOU CAN
DECLASSIFY BY SAYING IT'S DECLASSIFIED EVEN BY THINKING
ABOUT IT. >> IS THAT HOW IT WORKS, SIR?
>> NO, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. THOSE COMMENTS DON'T DEMONSTRATE
MUCH INSDWJETELLIGENCE OF ANY K. IF YOU COULD DECLASSIFY BY
THINKING ABOUT IT, HE'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN WE MAY HAVE
THOUGHT BECAUSE WITH THAT VIEW, HE COULD SIMPLY SPOUT OFF ON
ANYTHING HE READ IN THE PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEF OR
ANYTHING HE WAS BRIEFED ON BY THE CIA DIRECTOR TO A VISITING
RUSSIAN DELEGATION OR ANY DELEGATION THAT SAID I THOUGHT
ABOUT IT AND THEREFORE WHEN THE WORDS CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH, THEY
WERE DECLASS SIFDECLASSIFIED. PEOPLE WORK HARD TO GET THAT
INFORMATION. THAT INFORMATION PROTECTS
AMERICAN LIVES AND FOR HIM TO TREAT IT SO CAVALIERLY SHOWS
BOTH WHAT A CONTINUING DANGER THE MAN IS BUT ALSO, HOW VERY
LITTLE REGARD HE HAS FOR ANYTHING BUT HIMSELF.
>> TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN AND
FORMER ADVISOR TO THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE DENVER WRIGGLE MAN
TOLD "60 MINUTES." >> YOU GET A REAL AH-HA MOMENT
WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD CONNECTED TO A RIOTER'S PHONE
WHEN IT HAPPENED. >> SOMEONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
WAS CALLING A RIOTER WHEN THE RIOT WAS GOING ON?
>> ON JANUARY 6th. ABSOLUTELY.
>> THEY ARE REPORTING THE CALL LASTED NINE SECONDS AND NOT
PLACED BY A WHITE HOUSE SWITC
SWITCHBOARD, IT WAS A LAND LINE CALL FROM THE WHITE HOUSE CELL
PHONE TO A CELL PHONE OF A RIOTER.
DO YOU SEE THIS CALL AS SIGNIFICANT TO YOUR
INVESTIGATION? >> YOU KNOW, I CAN'T COMMENT ON
THE PARTICULARS. I CAN SAY THAT EACH OF THE
ISSUES THAT MR. WRIGGLEMAN RISED DURING THE PERIOD HE WAS WITH
THE COMMITTEE THAT ENDED QUITE SOMETIME AGO, WE LOOKED INTO AND
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS GIVEN OUR COMMITTEE CREDIBILITY IS
WE'VE BEEN VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE SAY, NOT TO OVER STATE
MATTERS, NOT TO OVER STATE MATTERS AND WITHOUT THE
ADVANTAGE OF THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WE'VE GATHERED SINCE
HE LEFT THE COMMITTEE IT POSES RISK TO BE SUGGESTING THINGS.
SO WE'VE LOOKED INTO ALL OF THESE ISSUES.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE INFORMATION WE'VE FOUND WILL BE
PRESENTING TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HEARING COMING
UP. IT WILL BE THE USUAL MIX OF
INFORMATION IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND NEW INFORMATION WOVEN
TOGETHER TO TELL THE STORY ABOUT ONE KEY ELEMENT OF DONALD
TRUMP'S EFFORT TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION.
>> SO YOUR COMMITTEE IS GOING TO HOLD THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING IN
MORE THAN TWO MONTHS COMING UP. HOW MUCH NEW INFORMATION ARE WE
GOING TO SEQUENCE AND WHAT WILL THE FOCUS OF THE HEARING BE?
>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT DISCLOSING YET WHAT THE FOCUS
WILL BE. YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SAY AS THIS
MAY BE THE LAST HEARING OF THIS NATURE, THAT IS ONE THAT IS
FOCUSED ON THE FACTUAL RECORD, I THINK IT WILL BE POTENTIALLY
MORE SWEEPING THAN SOME OF THE OTHER HEARINGS BUT IT, TOO, WILL
BE THEMEATIC AND TELL A STORY ABOUT DONALD TRUMP'S PLOT TO
OVERTURN THE ELECTION AND THE PUBLIC WILL CERTAINLY LEARN
THINGS IT HASN'T SEEN BEFORE BUT IT WILL ALSO UNDERSTAND
INFORMATION IT ALREADY HAS IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT BY SEEING IT
HOW RELATES TO OTHER ELEMENTS OF THIS PLOT.
SO I THINK IT WILL BE AS OTHERS WORTH WATCHING AND I HOPE WILL,
YOU KNOW, ADDITIONALLY DOWN THE ROAD HAVE A HEARING TO EXPLORE
OUR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS GOING FORWARD TO PROTECT THE
COUNTRY. >> ALL RIGHT.
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE,
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, SIR.