Lead House Manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said he feels threatened by President Trump over a tweet posted Sunday saying of Schiff that he “has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country.” Schiff made the comment on NBC’s Meet the Press where he was interviewed by host Chuck Todd. Schiff accused Trump of being “wrathful and vindictive” in explaining why he feels threatened by Trump over a tweet.
“Shifty Adam Schiff is a CORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick man. He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!”
Shifty Adam Schiff is a CORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick man. He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020
Todd asked Schiff about his monumental gaffe Friday night during the impeachment trial when he alienated persuadable Republican senators by repeating an anonymous CBS report that a Trump “confidante” had relayed a threat that senators voting against Trump in the trial would ‘have their heads on pikes’.
EXCLUSIVE: @RepAdamSchiff: “Look at the president’s tweets about me today saying I should pay a price..” @chucktodd: “Do you take that as a threat?” @RepAdamSchiff: “I think it is intended to be.”
EXCLUSIVE: @RepAdamSchiff: "Look at the president's tweets about me today saying I should pay a price.."@chucktodd: "Do you take that as a threat?"@RepAdamSchiff: "I think it is intended to be." pic.twitter.com/8KUqaoJcS3
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 26, 2020
Schiff was the one who brought up the tweet, not Todd. It should be noted that Schiff won his seat in 2000 (twenty years ago) when he was supported by the Clinton machine to exact revenge on Clinton impeachment House Manager Rep. James Rogan (R-CA) and make Rogan pay the price for impeaching President Bill Clinton.
UPDATE: Transcript via NBC:
CHUCK TODD:
What do you make of the criticism that some Republican senators, who you might want to see vote for witnesses, didn’t like your “head on a pike” comment? Murkowski, Collins, and Ernst. All three Republican senators who are — might be open to witnesses thought you got too personal.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF:
Well, I don’t think it was personal to refer to the CBS story. What may be personal though, and I think I have to be very candid about this, is I made the argument that it’s going to require moral courage to stand up to this president. And this is a wrathful and vindictive president. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. And if you think there is, look at the president’s tweets about me today, saying that I should pay a price.
CHUCK TODD:
Do you take that as a threat?
REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF:
I think it’s intended to be. But, look, it is going to be very difficult for some of these senators to stand up to this president. It really is. There’s just no question about it. And, and I want to acknowledge that. And I don’t want to acknowledge it in a way that is offensive to them, but I do want to speak candidly about it. And if this weren’t an issue, there wouldn’t be an issue about calling witnesses. If we can’t even get the senators to agree to call witnesses in a trial, it shows you just how difficult that moral courage is.
CHUCK TODD:
Well, we’re going to try to have that conversation in a second. Chairman Adam Schiff, thanks for coming on, sharing your —
REP. ADAM SCHIFF:
Thanks.
CHUCK TODD:
— views. We’ll be watching next week. Senate Republicans do seem increasingly unlikely to agree to hear any witnesses at the impeachment trial. Nearly two weeks ago, Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana suggested if Democrats do want to hear from witnesses, it would come at a price.
