GOP Reacts to Schiff’s Prior Knowledge of Whistleblower Complaint: ‘Bricks Begin to Crumble’

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 02: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) look
Tom Brenner/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

GOP lawmakers, administration officials, and conservative personalities are responding to the New York Times’ bombshell that revealed that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) knew of the “whistleblower’s” complaint days before it was filed.

GOP personalities say the bricks are beginning to “crumble” on Democrats and their partisan-driven impeachment efforts.

The Times revealed on Wednesday that Schiff – who is largely driving the House Democrats’ impeachment efforts – knew of the “whistleblower” complaint before it was formally filed. The revelation casts a new light on the political motivation behind Schiff’s pressure for the complaint’s release and spurs additional questions about Schiff’s possible influence on the complaint itself.

“Chairman Adam Schiff just got caught orchestrating with the whistleblower before the complaint was ever filed,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wrote. “Democrats have rigged this process from the start”:

“… and the bricks begin to crumble. This is the pure definition of corruption,” Eric Trump wrote. “Did he write or influence the letter?”:

“So the whistleblower was communicating with team Adam Schiff behind the scenes?” Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) remarked. “Well. This explains a lot, indeed”:

“Why did the whistleblower only give a heads up to the Democratic-controlled House? Why didn’t he also go to the Senate Intelligence Committee?” former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer asked:

“Coup Update: Schiff’s collusion with the @RealDonaldTrump ‘whistleblower’ is a major scandal and is part of a pattern of his unethical conduct,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton wrote.

“Well past time for Mr. Schiff to step down as head of Intelligence Committee — in the least,” he added:

“This puts the whole impeachment inquiry in a new light,” Brit Hume tweeted. “There’s no getting around the appearance that collusion-truther and Trump antagonist Schiff was a partner in this from the start”:

“Adam Schiff and the CORRUPT Democrats COORDINATED w/ the so-called ‘whistleblower’ (aka partisan deep state) BEFORE he/she filed the complaint,” Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for Trump’s 2020 campaign, remarked:

More:

The recent revelation provokes additional questions surrounding Schiff’s September 17 claim that “we” had not spoken directly to the “whistleblower.”

“We have not spoken directly with the whistleblower. We would like to,” Schiff said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

He continued:

But I’m sure the whistleblower has concerns that he has not been advised, as the law requires, by the Inspector General or the Director of National Intelligence just as to how he is to communicate with Congress. So the risk for the whistleblower is retaliation. Will the whistleblower be protected under the statute if the offices that are supposed to come to his assistance and provide the mechanism are unwilling do so. But, yes, we would love to talk directly with the whistleblower.

Schiff’s spokesman Patrick Boland denied any wrongdoing on the chairman’s part.

“This is a regular occurrence, given the Committee’s unique oversight role and responsibilities. Consistent with the Committee’s longstanding procedures, Committee staff appropriately advised the whistleblower to contact an Inspector General and to seek legal counsel,” Boland said, according to the Times.

“[A]t no point did the Committee review or receive the complaint in advance,” Boland continued. “The Committee did not receive the complaint until the night before the Acting Director of National Intelligence’s open hearing before the Committee.”

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