House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Friday told PBS News' Margaret Hoover that it is hard to feel sympathetic for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, even though he was the victim of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application abuse.
When the FBI obtained their warrant to spy on Page and the Trump campaign, their FISA application failed to mention that Page was working with the CIA. Whenever he would meet with the Russians, he would report back to the CIA about the conversations and dealings that took place. Conveniently enough, that information was omitted from the FISA warrant application.
Page has said the intelligence community spying on him has "ruined his good name" and that he will "never completely have his name restored," even though we know this abuse took place.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Schiff, however, is unsympathetic, even though Inspector General Michael Horowitz found 17 significant so-called "errors" in the FBI's FISA applications to were submitted to surveil on Page. Omitting the fact that Page was working with the CIA is just one of the 17 issues Horowitz found.
"I have to say, you know, Carter Page came before our Committee and for hours of his testimony, denied things that we knew were true, later had to admit them during his testimony," Schiff told Hoover. "It's hard to be sympathetic to someone who isn't honest with you when he comes and testifies under oath. It's also hard to be sympathetic when you have someone who has admitted to being an adviser to the Kremlin."
"But then was also informing the CIA," Hoover said.
"Yes, yes," Schiff responded, as if the omission had absolutely zero implications.
"Which we didn't know about," Hoover said.
"Who was both targeted by the KGB but also talking to the United States and its agencies and that should have been included, made clear, and it wasn't, according to the inspector general," Schiff admitted to the PBS host.
.@RepAdamSchiff is unsympathetic to Carter Page, telling @FiringLineShow that Page “denied things that we knew were true” in testimony, admitted to being an advisor to the Kremlin & “was apparently both targeted by the KGB, but also talking to the United States and its agencies." pic.twitter.com/GkjdGQZWLV
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@FiringLineShow) December 20, 2019
Once Page saw Schiff's statement, the former Trump aide took to Twitter to voice his concerns, particularly over his belief that Schiff is "even more untrustworthy and dangerous with his misuse of [Democratic National Committee] lies."
There have been various allegations of dishonesty regarding FBI lawyer Clinesmith. On information, belief and firsthand experience since 2017, I have actually found @RepAdamSchiff to be even more untrustworthy and dangerous with his misuse of @DNC lies:https://t.co/kMkRYFceGs
— Carter Page, Ph.D. (@carterwpage) December 21, 2019
It really should not come as a shock to learn that Adam Schiff has absolutely zero sympathy for Carter Page. After all, Page was working for then-candidate Trump and, you know, anyone even remotely associated to Donald Trump is seen as the enemy of Americans across the country. People like Adam Schiff are willing to take down innocent people – like Carter Page – if the ultimate end goal of ousting President Trump out of the White House is accomplished.
The left does not care whose lives they ruin, what agencies they undermine, what national security they threaten, what lies they tell as long as President Trump is no longer in the White House. They have proven that time and time again.
First Democrats told us they would prove the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller blew a hole right through that theory when he released his report. They could not impeach Trump on that so-called "collusion" so what do they do? They cling to President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming he threatened to withhold military aid unless Zelensky investigated the Bidens for corruption. And it really is only a matter of time before they try to claim Trump did something else that was wrong.