At last week's House Intelligence Committee hearing with Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, Chairman Adam Schiff took it upon himself to improvise the transcript of the July call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Schiff said at the opening of the hearing that Trump told the Ukrainian leader, "I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent."
The transcript does not say that, and it does not show evidence of quid pro quo. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was one of the Republicans on the panel to call Schiff out for his misleading parody.
Today’s @HouseIntel hearing with Acting DNI Maguire is extremely important for Americans to hear. I focused on the whistleblower complaint itself & did not recklessly improvise a fake dialogue for parody purposes like Adam Schiff—the head of this committee—did. Watch part 1 ?? pic.twitter.com/5MBeV7XNCd
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) September 26, 2019
On Wednesday, we caught wind of a new report that Schiff had access to the whistleblower complaint over a month ago. But instead of alerting his committee, he kept it to himself. This new intel answered a question that Stefanik had last week, and for her it's the last straw.
Re-upping my tweet from last week given the breaking news today that Adam Schiff had early access to the whistleblower & DID NOT share it with his own committee - instead he manipulated this information & played partisan political games. He should immediately step down as Chair. https://t.co/809PzeUjBs
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) October 2, 2019
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said he wasn't surprised by Schiff's behavior. He's witnessed his colleague "lying to the American people" for years. He, too, is out of patience and signed a resolution to censure Schiff.
President Trump did them one better. He told Schiff to resign from Congress.
Congressman Adam Schiff should resign for the Crime of, after reading a transcript of my conversation with the President of Ukraine (it was perfect), fraudulently fabricating a statement of the President of the United States and reading it to Congress, as though mine! He is sick!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2019