Schiff on possible Trump retribution: 'That’s dictator talk'
Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D) is accusing President-elect Trump of talking like a “dictator” as concerns grow over whether the next administration will seek retribution against his perceived enemies, which would likely include the incoming California senator.
Schiff joined ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday and was asked by host Kristen Welker if he was concerned by Trump’s language after he said the lawmaker was a lunatic, the “enemy from within” and suggested he was “more dangerous” than China and Russia.
“That’s dictator talk,” Schiff said in comments highlighted by Mediaite. “That’s how autocrats talk. They want to make their political opposition the enemy.”
Schiff, a current House member, is on Trump’s enemy list after he played a key role in his first impeachment trial. Trump has vowed for revenge and faces fewer limitations in his second term, with loyal Republicans being nominated to his Cabinet, the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress and a recent Supreme Court decision that gives presidents criminal immunity for official actions taken as president.
Schiff has maintained after Trump’s election victory that he is not concerned about the president-elect’s threats. He previously said “of course” he’s concerned about Trump’s personal threats against him, but that intimidation was not going to work.
“Look, I’m not concerned about myself. I’m going to do my job. I’m not going to have his threats intimidate me from doing so,” Schiff said.
He noted the concern about Trump’s relationship with leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Anytime you have someone, particularly someone who is going to become president of the United States, fawning over dictators, emulating their language, attacking the press, undermining our institutions, yeah, we should be concerned about it,” Schiff said, “because at the end of the day, it means that the American people will suffer.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.