House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff ‘in panic mode when no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion could be found’
HOUSE Intelligence chair Adam Schiff is reportedly “in panic mode” amid claims no proof of collusion has been revealed between President Trump’s team and Russia in newly-released documents.
Transcripts of top level interviews apparently show senior law enforcement and intelligence officials affirming they had no evidence of complicity during the 2016 election campaign.
This would back-up the conclusion of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller who also found no clues of illegal or criminal coordination during the presidential campaign.
However, observers say it could raise questions about statements made by Schiff – famously dubbed ‘Shifty’ by Trump – who has previously claimed there was proof of collusion.
“There is direct evidence in the e-mails from the Russians through their intermediary offering dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of what is described in writing as the Russian government effort to help elect Donald Trump, ” he told CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’ in March 2019.
Today’s reports cast a shadow over those claims, say Washington insiders.
“Schiff is in panic mode,” a senior administration official reportedly told Fox News.
Those familiar with the transcripts claim those interviewed by the Intelligence Committee were asked whether they had evidence Trump or his campaign conspired, colluded or coordinated with Russia.
However, two sources reportedly told Fox not one of the 53 witnesses could provide evidence of collusion.
“The transcripts show a total lack of evidence, despite Schiff personally going out saying he had more than circumstantial evidence that there was collusion,” one source apparently said.
Earlier this week, Republicans sought more than 6,000 pages of transcripts relating to interviews conducted by the House committee in 2017 and 2018.
The move came after the panel voted on a bipartisan basis in September 2018 to approve their public release as part of its Republican-led Russia investigation.
During the probe, the committee interviewed a number of top Trump officials and members of his family in 2017 and early 2018, including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon.
The committee also spoke to top Obama administration officials including former FBI Director James Comey, former national security adviser Susan Rice and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
However, Republicans have claimed Schiff was delaying their publication pointing out that 43 of the interview transcripts were completed in June 2019.
Special counsel Mueller did NOT find any evidence Trump’s campaign conspired with Moscow to influence the presidential election during his lengthy probe.
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Over the 21-month investigation, Special Counsel Mueller has brought charges against 34 people, including six aides and advisers to the president, and three companies.
The probe cast a long shadow over Donald Trump’s presidency and entangled his family after Trump’s campaign was accused of collusion with Moscow.
While law enforcement officials have long maintained tthere was clear intelligence of Russian meddling, to date, there have been no charges concerning actual conspiracy against people associated with the Trump campaign.