PARKING TICKET. THANK YOU, MATT MILLER, AND
THANK YOU, KEN DILANIAN. ON THE PHONE IS THE RANKING
MEMBER OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, CONGRESSMAN ADAM
SCHIFF. CONGRESSMAN, WE'VE BEEN WATCHING
YOU FOR MONTHS NOW, AND I WONDER HOW THIS FITS INTO THE CONTEXT
OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING AS RANKING
DEMOCRAT ON THAT COMMITTEE. >> WELL, HERE'S MY CONCERN.
YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT WHOSE ASSOCIATES ARE UNDER
INVESTIGATION BY THE FBI. YOU HAVE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE RECUSED HIMSELF FROM DECISIONS OVER THE
RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE PRESIDENT
TO FIRE THAT CHIEF INVESTIGATOR, AND THE PRESIDENT TAKING THAT
RECOMMENDATION. IT RAISES A WHOLE HOST OF
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THIS IS
SIMPLY BRAZEN INTERFERENCE WITH A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN THE COUNTRY CAN HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE
THAT DONALD TRUMP WASN'T THINKING, WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON
MY EXPOSURE BY FIRING COMEY? AND HE MUST HAVE CONCLUDED THAT
HE WAS BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM THAN WITH HIM AT THE HELM.
AND THAT IS DEEPLY TROUBLING. I THINK IT UNDERSCORES JUST HOW
ESSENTIAL IT IS THAT WE HAVE AN INDEPENDENT PROSECUTOR APPOINTED
IMMEDIATELY. >> LET'S LOOK AT THAT BALANCE,
THAT VERY SHARP BALANCE THERE. IT SEEMS TO ME WHAT WAS YOUR
VIEW AS A PROFESSIONAL, AS AN ATTORNEY, AS A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS AND RANKING MEMBER ON THAT COMMITTEE.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF COMEY'S ABILITY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THIS CASE WITH THE RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT?
WAS HE GOING TO DO IT? >> FIRST OF ALL, I SHARED A LOT
OF THE RESERVATIONS THAT THE DEPUTY A.G. SET OUT IN TERMS OF
DIRECTOR COMEY'S HANDLING OF THE CLINTON E-MAIL INVESTIGATION,
PARTICULARLY WHAT HE DID IN OCTOBER.
SO I UNDERSTAND THAT. I CONCUR WITH A LOT OF THOSE
CRITICISMS. AT THE SAME TIME, THOUGH, FOR
THIS PRESIDENT, WHO APPLAUDED THOSE STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS BY
DIRECTOR COMEY TO TAKE THIS ACTION NOW JUST CALLS INTO
QUESTION, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS REALLY ABOUT.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO JUMP TO THE
CONCLUSION AND PERHAPS PROPERLY SO THAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION, WHICH HE HAS CALLED A FAKE.
NOW HE'S GETTING RID OF THE HEAD OF THE FBI, WHO IS CONDUCTING
THAT INVESTIGATION. YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY HAVE MIXED
FEELINGS ABOUT THE DIRECTOR GIVEN HIS CONDUCT OF THE CLINTON
E-MAIL INVESTIGATION, BUT I HAVE PROFOUND CONCERNS ABOUT A
PRESIDENT WHO IS SO DEEPLY CONFLICTED IN TERMS OF HIS
INTERESTS MAKING THIS KIND OF A JUDGMENT.
>> BACK TO MY QUESTION. DO YOU THINK THAT HE WAS GOING
TO DO A GOOD JOB OF INVESTIGATING THE RUSSIAN
DEAL -- COMEY? DID YOU HAVE FAITH IN HIM TO DO
THAT? >> I THINK THAT ONE OF THE
IMPACTS OF THE HOUSE INVESTIGATION WAS PROVIDING
OVERSIGHT TO MAKE SURE THE DIRECTOR AND THE FBI WERE TAKING
THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY. I HAD MORE CONFIDENCE THAT WAS
HAPPENING AFTER OUR OPEN HEARING THAN I DID BEFORE.
NONETHELESS, IT WAS SOMETHING I THINK WE NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO
MONITOR AND STAY ON TOP OF AND QUESTION OF THE DIRECTOR ABOUT
WHETHER HE HAD CHASED DOWN THIS LEAD OR THAT LEAD.
THIS IS PART OF WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO IN CLOSED SESSION.
BUT NONETHELESS, EVEN WITH THE MISGIVINGS I HAD ABOUT THE
DIRECTOR, THE FACT THAT THIS PRESIDENT AND THIS ATTORNEY
GENERAL HAVE MADE THIS DECISION HEARKENS BACK, I THINK, TO SOME
OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE EQUALLY TAINTED BY PRESIDENT
NIXON. >> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT
SERIES OF DEVELOPMENTS. WE HAD NUNES, YOUR CHAIRMAN FOR
A WHILE, WHO BASICALLY HUMILIATED HIMSELF BY THAT
MIDNIGHT RIDE DOWN TO THE EOB AND COMING BACK WITH THE SAME
MATERIAL AND GOING BACK THE NEXT MORNING TO THE PRESIDENT WITH
WHAT HE HAD GOTTEN FROM THE PRESIDENT'S PEOPLE.
THEN YESTERDAY THE I THOUGHT STELLAR TESTIMONY FROM SALLY
YATES, THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO BROUGHT THE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION THROUGH MICHAEL FLYNN
TO THE PRESIDENT'S PEOPLE, TO HIS ATTORNEY IN THE WHITE HOUSE,
AND SHE WAS PUSHED BACK BASICALLY AND CRITICIZED FOR
DOING HER JOB. THE PATTERN HERE LOOKS MUCH
BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE PROSECUTING THIS CASE OR TRYING
TO GET TO THE TRUTH, THAN IT DOES FOR THE PEOPLE TRYING TO
COVER IT UP CERTAINLY. IS THAT FAIR?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PATTERN, SALLY YATES DID
HER JOB. SHE GOT FIRED BY PRESIDENT
TRUMP. DIRECTOR COMEY WAS INVESTIGATING
SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT DESCRIBED AS A FAKE.
HE GOT FIRED. YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW,
PARTICULARLY ENHANCE YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS, I GUESS, TO TAKE
ACTION THAT THE PRESIDENT DECIDES IS NOT IN HIS VERY
PERSONAL INTEREST. THAT'S NOT A QUALITY YOU LOOK
FOR IN A PRESIDENT. YOU LOOK FOR A PRESIDENT TO HAVE
AN INDEPENDENT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, AN INDEPENDENT FBI,
AND I THINK THAT'S BEEN VERY MUCH THROWN INTO QUESTION BY
THIS PRESIDENT'S ACTIONS. >> HE COMES FROM THE PRIVATE
SECTOR, FROM A COMPANY HE OWNS AND CONTROLS, AND HE HAD A TV
SHOW FOR YEARS, VERY SUCCESSFUL TV SHOW WHERE HE FIRED PEOPLE.
DO YOU GET THE SENSE THAT TRUMP BELIEVES THAT ANYONE WHO CAUSES
HIM ANY KIND OF CHAFING, ANY DISCOMFORT, THAT HE DOES HAVE
SORT OF THE RIGHT TO FIRE? >> I THINK HE DOES VIEW IT THAT
WAY. HE HAS VERY LITTLE APPRECIATION
OF HOW A SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES WORKS, AND ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE ARE FINDING, YOU KNOW, MUCH TO OUR PERIL IS THIS
SYSTEM OF DEMOCRACY AND CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT WE THINK IS SO
FIRMLY ENTRENCHED IS ACTUALLY QUITE FRAGILE.
WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE IN THE OVAL OFFICE WHO DOESN'T OBSERVE
ANY OF THE NORMS OF BEHAVIOR THAT WE'RE USED TO IN A
PRESIDENT, WE SEE JUST WHERE THE WEAKNESSES ARE INSTITUTIONALLY
IN OUR SYSTEM. I DO THINK IT'S INCUMBENT ON
CONGRESS, BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, TO INSIST UPON AN
INDEPENDENT PROSECUTOR HERE. THERE'S SIMPLY NO WAY I THINK
THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THIS PRESIDENT
IS GOING TO VOLUNTARILY ABSENT HIMSELF FROM ANY FURTHER
INTERFERENCE IN THE INVESTIGATION.
>> THERE WAS ANOTHER ICONIC EVENT IN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS.
THAT WAS THE TRIP IN THE BUS. NOT THE OTHER BUS, NOT THE
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD BUS, WHERE THEY
ALL TROOPED DOWN TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO GET THEIR PAT ON THE
BACK FROM THE PRESIDENT. I DON'T KNOW HOW THESE THINGS
CONNECT. BUT IF I WERE DOING DEEP
HISTORY, I WOULD SAY THAT'S ANOTHER INDICATION THAT THE
BALANCE OF CHECKS AND BALANCES IN OUR SYSTEM ISN'T REALLY
WORKING WHEN MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WHO
GOT ELECTED ON THEIR OWN, WHO PUT TOGETHER THEIR POLITICAL
CAREERS ON THEIR OWN, WHO DO THEIR JOB ON THEIR OWN, FELT
THAT THEY SHOULD COME DOWN TO THE WHITE HOUSE -- THERE THEY
ARE, THE PICTURE OF THEM, GIGGLING LIKE KIDS REWARDED BY
THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, GETTING A HOLIDAY.
THEY'RE ALL GRINNING. I DON'T KNOW.
DO THEY UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES WHEN THEY
WORK WITH YOU ON THIS INVESTIGATION?
DO THEY GET IT? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, I DO THINK
THAT MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMITTEE AND MIKE CONAWAY ARE
SERIOUS ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION. I DO HAVE TO SAY, THOUGH,
WATCHING THAT SPECTACLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, I FOUND IT SO
DISTURBING THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT PASSING A BILL THAT CUTS
OFF TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FROM HEALTH INSURANCE IS
SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED LIKE A FRAT PARTY.
>> YEAH. >> IT REALLY WAS APPALLING, AND
IT SAYS MORE ABOUT HOW THEY VIEW THIS AS A GAME THAN IT DOES
ABOUT WHETHER THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE PUBLIC BENEFIT.
>> WEL