Bill Maher sat down with the chair of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and asked him about his thoughts on the Mueller Report, and where we go from here.
“This was our big gun. Now it just looks like you're stalking [Trump],” said Maher. “Here's the thing about Bob Mueller. He's the last thing in America that left and right agreed on. This is a guy of honor. The fact that he was like ‘uhh.' You couldn't impeach before. How you gonna impeach after?”
“I'm not there yet on impeachment,” said Schiff. “I may get there, he may get me there. … But here's the awful dilemma that we face. If we don't impeach him, that sends a message — that this kind of conduct, this obstruction of justice, this kind of willing use of the help of a foreign adversary, all the lies and cover-up — that this is non-impeachable. At the same time, if we do impeach him, and he is acquitted, as he would likely be acquitted, then the message is ‘those are not impeachable offenses.' … At the end of the day Bill … there's only one way to deal with this problem, whether we impeach him or not, and that is to vote his ass out of office.”
Added Schiff: “I think people recognize, whether he could be indicted or not, that his conduct is unethical, probably criminal in terms of at least the obstruction of justice. And we have in our power, even if we don't have it legislatively because the GOP in Congress will do nothing to stand up to this man – there is no patriotism left in Trump's GOP. But we have it within our numbers to turn out and vote him out of office.”
Schiff also had advice for the 2020 candidates: “Here's what I was telling my colleagues, and particularly these wonderful candidates we had running in the midterms: don't talk about Russia. What I urge the candidates and I urge our nominees to talk about it is, how are you going to help American people put bread on the table? How are you going to help them provide for a secure retirement in an environment when people don't stay in the same job their whole life? … I'll tell you who I'm behind in 2020, and I'm behind them heart and soul: any living adult 2020. Anyone who gets the nomination, we all need to get behind.”
In overtime, Schiff and CNN contributor John Avlon ripped Attorney General Bill Barr for being Trump's lap dog.
Said Avlon: “Look, it is crystal clear that he misled the people of America intentionally by putting forward the most positive spin on the report, and closing the door on obstruction at least unless Congress picks it up. … I think he will go down in history, this will be a real mark against him. … This was a total sitortion and attempt to frame the debate in a way that's favorable to the president. And it did not represent the contents of the Mueller Report.”
Added Schiff: “The other thing that is so galling about Barr is, of course Mueller wrote his own summary. … Why did Barr want the job? I marvel at so many people who are so willing to debase themselves for a seat at Donald Trump's table.”
