Schiff: History will 'judge' the actions of House Republicans 'harshly'

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, is not happy that Republicans on the panel have ended the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any ties to the Trump campaign. The GOP "majority has placed the interests of protecting the president over protecting the country, and history will judge its actions harshly," Schiff said in a statement.

On Monday evening, Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said the committee is wrapping up the investigation, and will get a report to Democrats on Tuesday. House Republicans agree with intelligence agencies that Russia did meddle in the election, Conaway said, but saw no evidence of any collusion. Democrats do not think they've interviewed enough people, including major players like former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, or looked through pertinent paperwork, including bank documents.

Schiff said House Republicans have signaled for several weeks they've been "under great pressure to end the investigation," and by doing so, it's "another tragic milestone for this Congress, and represents yet another capitulation to the executive branch." If the Russians do have "leverage over the president of the United States," he added, "the majority has simple decided it would rather not know."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up