Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has attracted widespread criticism for his recent comments where he described the Justice Department’s probe into the origins of the Russia investigation as “un-American,” following President Donald Trump’s announcement to declassify documents pertaining to surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election.
On May 23, Schiff wrote on Twitter: “While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies.”
“The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American,” he added.
“Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election,“ Trump stated in his announcement on Twitter. ”The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information.”
The president added, “Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions.”
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a similar statement about the president’s memo on the same day.
Schiff’s comments quickly caught the attention of prominent commentators and journalists who criticized him for calling Barr’s probe “un-American.”
“Trump: Release the information so the public can see and hear the truth,” said Dan Bongino, the host of The Dan Bongino show. “Delusional, Insane, Lying, Conspiracy Theorist Schiff: ‘Coverup!’”
“Democrat Adam Schiff calls transparency in federal investigations ‘un-American,’” the Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra said.
“How could the information be weaponized if the FBI and CIA did everything by the book?” the Daily Caller reporter Chuck Ross wrote.
There have been repeated calls to launch an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe from key Republicans like Sen. Linsey Graham.
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“You’re gonna find out the mentality of the people investigating the president. You’re gonna find out exactly what they did, you’re gonna find out [George] Papadopoulos was not working with the Russians. They knew early on he had no contacts with the Russians,” Graham said.
