President Donald Trump on Monday took aim at House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) for making up his own version of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a hearing with Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. The candid comments came in response to a reporter's question about the whistleblower's identity, The Daily Caller reported.
"President Trump, do you know the identity of the whistleblower?” NBC’s Hallie Jackson asked.
"We're trying to find out about the whistleblower that reports things that are incorrect. As you know, and you probably figured it out, the statement I made to the president of Ukraine – a good man, a nice man, new – was perfect. But the whistleblower reported a totally different statement, like a statement that was not even made," Trump replied.
"When the whistleblower reported it he made it sound terrible. And then you had Adam Schiff, who, even worse, made up my words, which I think is horrible. I've never even seen a thing like that," the president explained. "Adam Schiff – representative, Congressman – made up what I said. He actually took words and made it up. The reason is when he saw my call to the president of Ukraine it was so good he couldn't quote from it because there was nothing done wrong. It was perfect."
"So Adam Schiff decided 'I can't let this happen so let me make it up.'... So Adam Schiff made up a phony call," Trump told reporters. "And he read it to Congress and he read it to the people of the United States. And it's a disgrace. This whole this is a disgrace."
According to Trump, he's determined to get to the bottom of the corruption, something he calls "draining the swamp."
"There's been corruption on the other side, corruption like you've never seen," he said. "Now the new president of Ukraine ran on the basis of no corruption. That's how he got elected and I believe that he really means it."
The Democrats have officially launched a former impeachment inquiry over Trump's phone call with Zelensky. The reason? Trump asked Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden who threatened to withhold military aid from Ukraine unless a prosecutor was fired for investigating the oil company Biden's son, Hunter, sat on the board of directors of.