VERY MUCH LIKE TO KEEP HIDDEN. INVESTIGATIONS WILL COME FROM A
VARIETY OF COMMITTEES.
I’M JOINED NOW FROM THE MAN WHO
WILL CHAIR ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT OF THEM.
ADAM SCHIFF, THE NEW CHAIR OF
THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD. GOOD.
GOOD. IT’S A NEW DAY.
>> YOU NOW CHAIR THIS COMMITTEE
WHICH WAS THE SUBJECT OF
TREMENDOUS SCRUTINY UNDER DEVIN
NUNES.
NUNES. THE QUESTION IS THERE WAS A
FORMAL INQUIRY THAT THAT
COMMITTEE CONVENED AND RELEASED
A REPORT SAYING THERE WAS NO
COALITION, NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
DO YOU RESTART THE INQUIRY?
>> FOR US IT NEVER ENDED.
THE REPUBLICANS WALKED AWAY FROM
IT.
IT. AS YOU SAY, THEY ISSUED A REPORT
WHICH WAS A POLITICAL DOCUMENT
SAYING NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
WE BELIEVE EVERYBODY WHO CAME IN
HAD EVERYTHING THEY HAD TO SAY
INCLUDED MICHAEL COHEN AND
EVERYBODY ELSE.
EVERYBODY ELSE. WE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT WAS
PERILOUS TO JUST SUGGEST THAT WE
DON’T HAVE TO COMPEL ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. WE DON’T HAVE TO DO ANY
FOLLOW-UP TO GET DOCUMENTS
MATERIALIZED.
MATERIALIZED. THE THINGS THAT ARE A STAPLE OF
REAL INVESTIGATIONS.
REAL INVESTIGATIONS. WE SEE WHAT A FOLLY THAT WAS.
FOR OUR PART WHEN THE
REPUBLICANS WALKED AWAY AND THEY
DEVOTED THEIR TIME TO
INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS
KEPT OUR WORK GOING.
WE KEPT BRINGING WITNESSES IN.
IT WAS HARD BECAUSE WE COULDN’T
COMPEL THEM.
COMPEL THEM. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE THAT
WORK.
WORK. WE’RE GOING TO INVITE THE
REPUBLICANS TO REJOIN THE
INVESTIGATION IF THEY’RE
INTERESTED, IF THEY’RE WILLING.
WE’D LIKE TO WORK IN THE
BIPARTISAN FASHION WHICH WE
COMMITTED TO DOING AT THE
OUTSET.
OUTSET. BUT IT WILL BE UP TO THEM
WHETHER THEY’RE INTERESTED.
>> ARE THERE GLARING HOLES,
GLARING THINGS THAT ARE THE
OBVIOUS FIRST PRIORITIES IN
TERMS OF GETTING YOUR HANDS ON
IN TERMS OF SUBPOENAS OR
REQUESTS?
REQUESTS? >> THERE ARE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I’VE HELD UP THIS
EXAMPLE BEFORE BECAUSE IT’S SUCH
A GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE
KIND OF INVESTIGATIONS THE
REPUBLICANS WERE LEADING AND
WHERE THEY FELL SHORT.
WE KNOW IN THE RUN-UP TO THIS
MEETING AT TRUMP TOWER THAT
THERE WERE PHONE CALLS GOING
BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN TRUMP
JUNIOR AND THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCH
SON WHERE DON JUNIOR WAS TRYING
TO FIND OUT ARE THE RUSSIANS
SERIOUS AND SHOULD I TAKE THIS
MEETING, SHOULD I BRING MY
BROTHER-IN-LAW, SHOULD I BRING
THE CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME,
THEY HAVEN’T EVEN SEWN UP THE
NOMINATION YET.
NOMINATION YET. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND SANDWICHED BETWEEN THOSE
CALLS ARE A BLOCKED CALL.
AND WE WANTED TO KNOW DID THAT
COME FROM THE PRESIDENT?
WAS THE PRESIDENT INVOLVED IN
THE PLANNING OR THE APPROVAL OF
THIS MEETING?
THIS MEETING? SO WE SAID LET’S SUBPOENA THE
PHONE RECORDS AND FIND OUT.
AND THE ANSWER WAS NO, WE DON’T
WANT TO KNOW.
>> SO CAN YOU JUST DO THAT
TOMORROW?
TOMORROW? >> WELL, WE CAN’T ACTUALLY DO IT
TOMORROW BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE A
COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED YET.
BUT WHEN WE ARE CONSTITUTED, WE
CAN GET THOSE PHONE RECORDS.
AND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
FOR OUR PART SEEK VOLUNTARY
COMPLIANCE AND ONLY USE A
SUBPOENA AS A LAST RESORT, BUT
WE ANTICIPATE IT WILL BE A
NECESSARY RESORT IN SOME CASES.
>> WHAT ABOUT WITNESSES THAT
HAVE COME BEFORE YOUR COMMITTEE
AND TOLD YOU THINGS THAT YOU NOW
SUSPECT ARE FALSE?
>> WELL, PROBABLY OUR FIRST STEP
WILL BE TO PROVIDE THE
TRANSCRIPTS TO BOB MUELLER SO HE
CAN HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE
EVIDENCE THEY CONTAIN BUT ALSO
DETERMINE AND TAKE APPROPRIATE
ACTION WHERE PEOPLE CAME BEFORE
A COMMITTEE AND LIED.
AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AS
INDEED MICHAEL COHEN WAS HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. SO THAT’S AN EARLY AND I THINK
IMPORTANT STEP.
IMPORTANT STEP. >> YOU -- I WANT TO TAKE A STEP
BACK FOR A SECOND.
BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE WHO HAVE
SORT OF COME TO FOLLOW YOUR
COMMITTEE CLOSELY IN THIS ERA
HAVE A VIEW OF IT THAT’S VERY
DIFFERENT FROM WHAT ITS
REPUTATION HAD BEEN.
WHEN I WAS COVERING CONGRESS IN
AN OFFICE RIGHT OVER THERE, THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IS ONE OF
THOSE GLAD HANDY VERY BIPARTISAN
COMMITTEES.
COMMITTEES. YOU GUYS SORT OF STOOD KIND OF
FOUR SQUARE LARGELY BECAUSE
THERE WAS A REAL KIND OF BACK
AND FORTH WITH THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. IT’S ALL VERY SECRET AND CLOAK
AND DAGGER.
AND DAGGER. I MEAN, HOW MUCH HAS THE
COMMITTEE BEEN BROKEN?
ITS CULTURE, ITS INSTITUTIONAL
BASIS BY THE LAST TWO YEARS?
>> I’LL TELL YOU THE GOOD NEWS
AND THE BAD NEWS.
THE BAD NEWS HAS BEEN PRETTY
OBVIOUS.
OBVIOUS. WE OPERATE IN A BIPARTISAN
FASHION UP UNTIL MARCH 20th.
THAT WAS THE DAY IN 2017 WHEN
JAMES COMEY TESTIFIED PUBLICLY
BEFORE OUR COMMITTEE THAT THERE
WERE ACTUALLY TWO
INVESTIGATIONS, NOT JUST A
CLINTON INVESTIGATION, BUT THERE
HAD BEEN ONE OF THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION.
ORGANIZATION. THAT PROMPTED THE NOW INFAMOUS
MIDNIGHT RUN BY OUR CHAIRMAN THE
FOLLOWING DAY OR EVENING.
THAT COMPLETELY BLEW UP
BIPARTISAN WORK ON THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. YOU CAN’T CONDUCT A LEGITIMATE
INVESTIGATION IF YOU’RE BASELY
IN CAHOOTS WITH SOMEONE WHO MAY
BE IMPLICATED IN THAT
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. THE GOOD NEWS IS NOTWITHSTANDING
ALL OF THAT DYSFUNCTION ON THE
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION, WE
CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK THAT YOU
WERE FAMILIAR WITH ABOUT OUR
COMMITTEE BEFORE WHICH WAS THE
DAY JOB, THE BREAD AND BUTTER,
THE OVERSIGHT OF THESE MAMMOTH
AGENCIES MAKING SURE THEY’RE
FUNDED APPROPRIATELY AND DOING
THE WORK THEY SHOULD AND
MAINTAINING PEOPLE’S PRIVACY.
>> AND OPERATING LEGALLY.
>> AND OPERATING
CONSTITUTIONALLY AND LEGALLY.
ALL OF THAT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO
DO IN A NONPARTISAN WAY.
YOU DON’T SEE THAT --
>> I GUESS THE POINT THERE IS
FROM A SORT OF HUMAN LEVEL BUT
INSTITUTIONALLY YOU’RE ABLE TO
CORDON THOSE THINGS OFF FROM
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. >> WE HAVE.
MR. NUNES AND I MADE THE
DECISION WITHOUT EVER THE NEED
TO DISCUSS IT.
WE WERE NOT GOING TO LET OUR
DIFFERENCES ON THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION IMPEDE THE OTHER
VITAL WORK OF THE COMMITTEE.
>> THERE’S A BROADER QUESTION.
THERE’S A QUESTION I WANT TO ASK
ALL OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP.
WE’RE LIVING NOW THROUGH THIS
ERA OF BOTH POLARIZATION,
INSTITUTIONAL NORMS UNWINDING,
AND I THINK MAXIMALISM
LEGISLATIVELY.
LEGISLATIVELY. OKAY?
OKAY? ONE OF THE BIG VICTORIES OF THE
CONGRESS WAS THEY USED THE DEBT
CEILING DEFAULT AS A KIND OF
THREAT TO GET AN AUSTERITY
LEGISLATION PASSED.
LEGISLATION PASSED. IT WORKED.
IT WORKED. IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED NEARLY.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL THEORY OF
YOUR WIELDING OF POWER AND YOUR
RESPECT FOR NORMS BALANCED
AGAINST IMPERATIVES TO DEAL WITH
WHAT YOU’RE DEALING WITH?
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO GET
BACK TO OPERATING RATIONALLY AND
CIVILLY.
CIVILLY. WE HAVE TO STOP HOLDING THE
GOVERNMENT AND ALL OF ITS
EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS
HOSTAGE WHEN YOU CAN’T GET THE
VOTES FOR YOUR PRIORITY WHETHER
IT’S A WALL OR ANYTHING ELSE.
SO WE NEED TO GET BACK TO SOME
RATIONAL ORDER.
RATIONAL ORDER. WE DON’T WANT TO REPEAT THE
MISTAKES, THE EXCESSES, THE
OVERZEALOUS PARNSHIP.
OVERZEALOUS PARNSHIP. >> WHAT IF THAT’S THE WAY IT
WORKS NOW?
WORKS NOW? WHAT IF YOU CAN’T PUT HUMPTY
DUMPTY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN?
>> WE FIGHT HARD AND TOUGH AND
SMART FOR OUR PRIORITIES.
BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THERE’S
SOMETHING BIGGER THAN US.
THAT WE’RE GOING TO COME AND GO
IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING
BEHIND US.
BEHIND US. AND WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO THE
ENTIRE COUNTRY AND TO ITS
INSTITUTIONS.
INSTITUTIONS. RIGHT NOW THIS IS THE MOST
PRECARIOUS TIME IN MY LIFETIME
IN TERMS OF OUR REPUBLIC.
WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO
DENIGRATES THE FREEDOM OF THE
PRESS WHO GOES AFTER THE
INDEPENDENTS OF THE JUDICIARY.
AND IN SO MANY WAYS I THINK IS
THREATENING THE LIVELIHOOD OF
OUR DEMOCRACY.
OUR DEMOCRACY. THE ANSWER TO THAT CANNOT BE
MORE OF THE SAME.
THAT JUST DRAGS US ALL DOWN.