A US Rep who is accused of telling the American people bold lies and manipulating the media with leaks of classified information gathered during a high-ranking committee hearing weaponized to smear his political opponents and shape public opinion in his favor has gotten some awful news about his schemes and tactics and the consequences of lying.
Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has been accused of leaking classified information for years. Now that he’s running for the U.S. Senate, several top figures refuse to let people forget about it. Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo recently argued that Schiff should no longer have access to it, Martin Walsh reported for Conservative Brief, adding:
“During my time as CIA director and secretary of state, I know that he leaked classified information that had been provided to him,” Pompeo said, noting that Schiff played a crucial role in the Trump-Russia investigation, which was plagued with leaks to the media for years.
Schiff has often hidden behind his privilege to lie to the American people about important information, a Constitutional right, that has been exploited.
Here is how the US Congress defines the power:
“They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.
That might be why Schiff wants to stay in office so much.
Schiff is the master of the Speech and Debate Clause; he feels protected by it himself:
Pence is now claiming the Speech and Debate Clause — meant for senators and members — allows him to avoid testifying about Jan 6.
Just shows the lengths Pence will go to avoid doing his duty and telling the truth.
What a way to launch a presidential campaign.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 14, 2023
Schiff was busted and caught leaking information:
“It’s a complicated process, right? It’s difficult to pin down precisely what happened,” Pompeo said. “But I could tell you that when we provided information to him and to his staff, it ended up in places it shouldn’t have been with alarming regularity. We could see it. In the end, I decided I held back information from them as a result.”
Walsh’s report went on with details on why Schiff had been removed from his position in the critical House Intelligence Committee:
Last month, McCarthy defended his decision to remove Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee.
“Let me be very clear and respectful to you,” McCarthy responded at one point. “You ask me a question, when I answer it, it’s the answer to your question. You don’t get to determine whether I answer your question or not, okay? With all respect, thank you. No, no. Let’s answer her question.”
“You just raised the question. I will be very clear with you. The Intel Committee is different, well, you know why? Because what happens in the Intel Committee, you don’t know. What happens in the Intel committee, other secrets are going on the world, other members of Congress don’t know,” McCarthy said.
“You have not had the briefing that I had,” McCarthy continued.
“I had the briefing, and Nancy Pelosi had the briefing from the FBI. The FBI never came before this Congress to tell the leadership of this Congress that Eric Swalwell had a problem with the Chinese spy until he served on Intel,” McCarthy continued.
“So it wasn’t just us who were concerned about it; the FBI was concerned about putting a member of Congress on the Intel committee that has the right to see things that others don’t because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy,” he said.
In a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, McCarthy said he would not reinstate Schiff or California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell.
The Epoch Times reported on McCarthy’s comments:
The new speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, recently removed Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the #HouseIntelligenceCommittee.
The criterion was #NationalSecurity.https://t.co/uieDcPXiYu pic.twitter.com/GWxGp0T8CL
— EpochTV (@EpochTV) February 8, 2023
“I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as a sole criterion for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more,” he wrote.
“It is my assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congress severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions ultimately leaving our nation less safe,” he added. “Therefore, as we enter a new Congress, I am committed to returning the Intelligence Committee to one of genuine honesty and credibility that retains the trust of the American people.”
He announced last month that he would be running for the U.S. Senate seat in California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“Our democracy is at great risk. Because GOP leaders care more about power than anything else. And because our economy isn’t working for millions of hard-working Americans. We’re in the fight of our lives—a fight I’m ready to lead as California’s next U.S. Senator,” he said in a tweet.
“We’re in the fight of our lives—a fight I’m ready to lead as California’s next U.S. Senator,” he said in a video shared to Twitter in which he made his announcement.
I can’t run for U.S. Senate in California without you. Our campaign is people-powered, and we won’t accept a cent of corporate PAC $.
Your support allows us to organize and fight back. Chip in today, and show you’re with our team on Day One:https://t.co/s43pEy5FPu
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) January 26, 2023
Walsh concluded:
“The Senate is where many of these fights over the future of our democracy take place,” he said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times before his campaign launch. “Some of Donald Trump’s biggest enablers are in the Senate. And I think that is where I can most effectively champion our democratic institutions.”
