Adam Schiff To 2020 Democrats: ‘Don’t Talk About Russia’
In an interview with HBO’s Bill Maher broadcast on Friday, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff offered advice to Democratic colleagues entering the presidential race, Newsweek reports.
Schiff urged the Democrats to not talk about Russia, suggesting that they focus on issues that impact the lives on ordinary Americans.
“Don’t talk about Russia,” he said, explaining that the candidates should instead talk about helping the American people “put bread on the table.”
“You’re not going to persuade people to vote Democrat or Republican by talking about Russia…what I urge the candidates and I urge our nominees to talk about it is, how are you going to help American people put bread on the table?”
Rising xenophobia, populism, and globalization of the economy are some of the issues 2020 Democrats should campaign on, Schiff suggested.
“Addressing those challenges, that’s what we need to be talking about,” the high-level Democrat said.
Schiff’s statements come as somewhat of a surprise, given that he has been one of the chief promoters of the Trump-Russia theory. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report — in which Mueller wrote that there had not been a Trump-Russia conspiracy, and refusing to draw conclusions about obstruction of justice — Schiff continued to allege collusion.
The House Intelligence Chairman recently compared Donald Trump to Richard Nixon, shifting his focus to possible obstruction of justice by the president. According to Schiff, Trump’s obstruction of Mueller’s probe is “far more significant” than Watergate. Even though he has continued to allege collusion and obstruction of justice, however, Schiff has refused to come out in favor of impeachment.
The sweeping Mueller investigation ended with zero indictments of zero Americans for conspiring with Russia over the 2016 election, writes @ggreenwald. https://t.co/4KSjNegEyU #MuellerReport
— The Intercept (@theintercept) April 18, 2019
Other top Democrats, such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, have also argued against impeachment, prompting criticism from the party base. House progressives, on the other hand, have suggested that the Congress starts impeachment proceedings.
In his interview with Bill Maher, the Democrat reiterated his previous statements, suggesting that there would be no point in impeaching Trump given that the Senate is controlled by the Republican Party. The best way to deal with Donald Trump, according to Schiff, is to beat him at the ballot box.
“There’s only one way to deal with this problem, whether we impeach him or not, and that’s to vote his a** out of office,” he said.
The Democrat discussed the crowded Democratic field with Bill Maher, without endorsing any of the candidates. Schiff said that the party needs to support whoever gets the nomination, jokingly adding that he will back “any living adult” for president in 2020.
“I’ll tell you who I’m behind in 2020, and I’m behind them heart and soul: Any living adult 2020,” he said.
