California Rep. Adam Schiff said Sunday he’s "not surprised" by President Donald Trump’s dismissal in the newly released Democratic intelligence memo.
"That’s not me surprised the president doesn’t like it," the ranking Democrat within the House Intelligence Committee said. "That’s not me surprised, frankly, the White House aimed to bury this memo response assuming they could."
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The memo was released Saturday for a counterweight for the Republican memo, that the president declassified several week ago. The GOP memo claimed FBI officials misled a secret surveillance court to find a warrant to spy on Carter Page, an ancient Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) countered a key GOP claim Sunday that a special surveillance warrant for Page wouldn’t were granted been with them not been for dossier information published by former British spy Christopher Steele.
"It is vital with the public to view the important points, that your FBI acted appropriately in seeking a warrant on Carter Page," Schiff responded on CNN’s "State within the Union."
The FBI, he was quoted saying, isn’t part of "some deep state, when the president apparently would love everyone to assume.”
Schiff also answered criticisms lobbed at him Saturday night with the president, who named the congressman a "leaker" and "crook."
"I’m proud to be on the list of bad hombres, I assume," Schiff said.
Trump told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro that Schiff leaks information to reporters in actions who were "most likely not legal."
"The thing is that this Adam Schiff has a meeting and instead gives off the meeting and calls up reporters after which it all of a sudden they’ll have news and you’re not likely to do this – it should be illegal to make it happen," Trump said. "You are aware of he’ll contain a committee meeting and he’ll leak all sorts of information. You no doubt know, he’s a bad guy."
Responding Sunday, Schiff said obama was dealing with a hearing where Trump’s son, Donald Jr., was called to testify.
"I asked him about conversations he previously had while using president where the president was on that aircraft and in addition they concocted this false statement about this meeting in Trump Tower with all the Russians," Schiff said. "And that he refused to respond to the questions, claiming attorney-client privilege, which clearly doesn’t affect a state of affairs where neither he nor his father are attorney nor client.
"Our position is – plus the Republicans have adopted it too – if witnesses will not respond to your questions making bogus claims of privilege, as he did, as Steve Bannon did, we call them on it," Schiff added.
"Well, the president doesn’t like that. That’s an excellent leak. That’s a fact."
