Adam Schiff accuses Trump of intimidating witness, inciting violence


House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is apparently not taking President Trump's rhetoric toward the anonymous whistleblower — whom he says he has the right to meet — lightly.
During a press conference Wednesday alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Schiff accused Trump of blatantly attempting to intimidate witnesses to his communications with Ukraine's government, which sparked a congressional impeachment inquiry, and even inciting violence in his response to the matter. Schiff also promised to protect the identity of the whistleblower, who so far has only been identified as a CIA agent, arguing the person has the right to remain anonymous.
While certainly not as harsh, Schiff's comments are somewhat similar to those made by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who also lashed out at Trump on Tuesday, arguing that he was using "mob language" and implying the whistleblower should be killed.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Inside The Peninsula, London’s first billion-pound hotel
The Week Recommends As the capital’s super-luxury hotel scene continues to expand, the respected brand is still setting the standard
-
AI is making houses more expensive
Under the radar Homebuying is also made trickier by AI-generated internet listings
-
Crossword: October 22, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from Louvre
Speed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 years
Speed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
-
Man charged over LA’s deadly Palisades Fire
speed read 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in connection with the fire that killed 12 people
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan church
Speed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school mass
Speed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived