House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) highlighted the fact that Trump will be meeting with the ringleader of the attack on the United States during the 2016 presidential election.
Video:
Transcript via CNN State Of The Union:
TAPPER: Congressman, we’re now less than 24 hours away from the president’s summit with Vladimir Putin, which will take place right behind me in the presidential palace.
Now, the White House says they’re proceeding as planned despite calls from people like yourself to — to cancel it. They also say that the indictments issued on Friday strengthen President Trump’s hand when it comes to confronting Putin about election interference.
Your response?
SCHIFF: Well, of course, that’s not the president’s intention. The president, as you pointed out, Jake, knew these indictments were coming and yet was telegraphing he thought the meeting with Putin was going to be easier — easier, in fact, than meeting with our own allies.
So, Putin is getting a lot just by taking this meeting. After all, part of the reason for this indictment is to stigmatize those involved in interfering in our election. Putin is essentially an unindicted co-conspirator. And not just any
co-conspirator, he’s the ringmaster of this conspiracy and he’s going to be sitting down at the table with Donald Trump. And Trump is basically saying that the indictment is just a witch hunt. And that’s a great gift for Vladimir Putin.
So I think if Kim Jong-un can eat the president’s lunch, which I think he clearly did, it will be a very easy matter for Vladimir Putin.
That smell that everyone smells but no one wants to talk about surrounding this summit is the stench of potential treason. Rep. Adam Schiff did a great job showing you where the odor is coming from. Trump is meeting alone with the ringleader of an attack on US democracy days after 12 members of his military were indicted for the crime.
Trump isn’t distancing himself from the Russia conspiracy. He isn’t pushing back against it. Donald Trump is embracing the Russia conspiracy like a warm old friend.
There are treasonous undertones to this meeting. Adam Schiff is doing his best to fight against and expose them, and if the will of the American people is expressed in November, he will be leading the Russia investigation by January 2019.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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