Congressman accuses Schiff of hiding impeachment 'evidence'

Rep. Adam Schiff

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has become a familiar face as the chairman of the committee holding impeaching hearings, is hiding evidence from the American public, contends Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, which  would handle any articles of impeachment.

Collins, in a letter Thursday, called on House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., "to require chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to transmit all documents, information and evidence related to the impeachment inquiry – in unredacted form – from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to the House Judiciary Committee."

"Chairman Schiff has engaged in an assault on the already one-sided process. Based on the publicly available transcripts, it appears Chairman Schiff has worked in concert with select disgruntled bureaucrats to withhold evidence from Intelligence Committee Republicans, this committee, and the American people," Collins charges.

Collins requests "all documents and information" from Schiff "pursuant to House Resolution 660 and its accompanying procedures."

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He noted Schiff's inquiry "will soon arrive in the House Committee on the Judiciary ('this Committee'), according to the impeachment resolution passed and supported solely by Democrats."

"Without all documents and materials considered by the Intelligence Committee, this committee will be unable to fulfill its obligation to the American people to carefully consider a matter as dire as removing a duly elected president."

Collins charged that Schiff has been running a "lopsided inquiry."

"It appears Chairman Schiff has worked in concert with select disgruntled bureaucrats to withhold evidence from Intelligence Committee Republicans, this committee, and the American people. He has cut off Republican questioning and instructed witnesses not to answer Republicans’ questions. For example, during the deposition of Lt. Col. Vindman, the minority sought answers to relevant questions related to basic facts (e.g., who, what, when, why, etc.) regarding Colonel Vindman’s actions after the July 25 phone call between President Trump and President Zelensky. Chairman Schiff refused to allow the witness to answer," the letter states.

Collins also is concerned that Schiff has not released all underlying evidence gathered during his investigation.

"In order to correct this and other procedural flaws and inequities, we urge you to conduct the proceedings in this committee with an even-handed approach. Additionally, we request that you require Chairman Schiff to provide this committee all materials and evidence obtained by the Intelligence Committee prior to or since July 25, 2019, when Intelligence Committee staff reportedly initially communicated with the whistleblower."

Collins said constitutional scholars, "even Democratic scholars, who participated directly in the impeachment of President Clinton, are baffled by current Democrats’ staking their hope of impeachment 'on a barely developed evidentiary record and cursory public hearings[.]"

What the Judiciary members will need includes "unaltered transcripts – Chairman Schiff must provide unedited and un-redacted versions of all transcripts of depositions, transcribed interviews, and other interactions between the Intelligence Committee, including but not limited to, any agent, consultant, or staff and any witness or potential witness."

Then there are text messages in custody of the Democrats and all documents provided by "whistleblowers."

The letter cites Pelosi's statement in 1998, when she was defending Bill Clinton, impeached for lying, claiming Republicans were "paralyzed with hatred of President Clinton."

The letter said the Judiciary Committee "owes truth and fairness to the American people" because so far, Schiff has presented "only a carefully curated panel of public witnesses."

"We will consider any effort to prevent the production of evidence—even that which may shed unfavorable light on misdeeds by Democratic presidential candidates—as constituting obstruction of a legitimate congressional inquiry," the letter says.