Schiff: We Need To Remove Trump ASAP Because He’s “Threatening” To “Cheat In The Next Election”

During the interview, Schiff also alleged that intelligence agencies are witholding evidence that would incriminate Trump regarding the Ukraine, as if to give an excuse as to why Dems have turned up ZERO proof of their accusations!

Here's a partial transcript of what Schiff had to say from ABC News:

STEPHANOPOULOS:  You're going to have to convince at least four Republican senators to vote for those witnesses.  One of the key ones, of course, is Susan Collins, and she's been quite critical of the House process, saying, you know, you should have done more to enforce your own subpoenas.

SCHIFF:  You know, I've seen those comments.  I look forward to addressing them at the trial, because I think what Senator Collins and the other senators need to realize is we did try to get these witnesses in the House.  We subpoenaed many of these witnesses.  And because of the president's obstruction, they ignored those lawful subpoenas.

If you argue that, well, the House needed to go through endless months or even years of litigation before bringing about an impeachment, you effectively nullify the impeachment clause.  You allow the president of the United States by delay, by playing rope a dope in the courts, to defeat the power of the impeachment clause.

The framers gave the House the sole power of impeachment.  It didn't say that was given to judges who at their leisure may or may not decide cases and allow the House to proceed.  So that is not the structure that the framers intended.

And I'll make one other point, George, which I think is a powerful one, and that is Donald Trump's Justice Department is in court saying the House cannot go to court to enforce its subpoenas.  Well, they can't have it both ways, and neither should the senators accept it both ways.

The reality is, because what the president is threatening to do is cheat in the next election, you cannot wait months and years to be able to remove that threat from office.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Senator McConnell still hasn't released this resolution laying out the rules and timetables for the trial, but we've learned that he's been considering a far more compressed schedule than the Clinton trial, fewer days for arguments, compressed timeline, no guarantee of new witnesses, as we've discussed.  What will you be fighting for on Tuesday?

SCHIFF:  Well, and it's telling that none of us have seen this resolution, except, I suppose, the White House lawyers.  We'll be fighting for a fair trial.  As I mentioned before, that is really the foundation on which this all rests.

If the Senate decides, if Senator McConnell prevails and there are no witnesses, it will be the first impeachment trial in history that goes to conclusion without witnesses.  Look, I can tell you, the atmosphere in the Senate when I came with the other House managers and we read the articles was one befitting something that has only happened three times in the nation's history.  And I intend during the trial to be respectful of the senators, to operate from the presumption that they do take their oaths seriously, but also with the knowledge that Americans are watching, that they're going to demand a fair trial, and if the senators don't give the country a fair trial, one that's fair to the president but also fair to the American people, the senators will be held accountable.  So that's the approach I intend to take.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Finally, Senator -- I mean, Congressman -- you're also the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and each year your committee holds a hearing on global security threats.  Politico is reporting that the intelligence community is resisting coming forward in a public hearing because they're afraid of angering President Trump.  What's the latest on that?  Are you going to have a public hearing?

SCHIFF:  Well, you know, unfortunately, I think those reports are all too accurate.  The intelligence community is reluctant to have an open hearing, something that we had done every year prior to the Trump administration, because they're worried about angering the president.

Well, part of their job is to speak truth to power.  And I worry that they're succumbing to the pressure of the administration.  And I'll say something even more concerning to me, and that is the intelligence community is beginning to withhold documents from Congress on the issue of Ukraine.  They appear to be succumbing to pressure from the administration.  The NSA in particular is withholding what are potentially relevant documents to our oversight responsibilities on Ukraine, but also withholding documents potentially relevant that the senators might want to see during the trial.

That is deeply concerning.  And there are signs that the CIA may be on the same tragic course.  We are counting on the intelligence community not only to speak truth to power, but to resist pressure from the administration to withhold information from Congress because the administration fears that they incriminate them.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Congressman Schiff, thanks for your time this morning.

SCHIFF:  Thank you.

The Daily Caller stated the following about Schiff's comments:

Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that was largely responsible for impeaching the president, was also named as an impeachment manager last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

 

He raised the issue of enforcing subpoenas when told that Democrats have not been able to shake lose any Republican senators who might vote against party lines or are even willing to introduce witnesses to the Senate impeachment trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that he has the votes to proceed with a trial on his own terms.

 

“The reality is, because what the president is threatening to do is cheat in the next election, you cannot wait months and years to be able to remove that threat from office,” Schiff said, even though for the past month Pelosi was not indicating any urgency in delivering the articles of impeachment to the Senate. McConnell has said that Pelsoi’s “one-woman blockade” of the impeachment process “produced absolutely nothing.”