Schiff Tries Justifying His Private Impeachment Efforts, Zeldin Fires Back: ‘Why Is He Publicly Leaking Anything’

[Image Source: ABC & CBS Video Screenshots. Swamp Drain Compilation]

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) ripped Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) Sunday on ABC’s “This Week”, for the House Intel Chairman’s handling of the impeachment inquiry, saying that “Schiff is trying to get the U.S. drunk with his favorite cocktail.”

During the interview with host Jonathan Karl, Zeldin also stated that he believes it was the right to do for President Trump to ask the Ukrainian President to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Burisma. “There shouldn’t be immunity from scrutiny because Joe Biden is running for President. … It is either illegal or it should be illegal, what they did.”

Asked if he found the former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, to be a credible witness when she testified last week behind closed doors, Rep. Zeldin replied, “Sure, there’s some issues where she contradicted herself during her testimony. I believe that every single word, in real time, should have been in front of the American public, so that you knew exactly everything that she said.”

“The President wants there to be a process. The President is saying that there should be a vote for an impeachment inquiry. … The minority process should have subpoena power, the President should have counsel present, he should be able to cross examine witnesses. He should be able to present evidence,” Zeldin explained.

“Instead, what Adam Schiff wants is to get the United States of America drunk on his favorite cocktail; there’s three ingredients. One is cherry picking leaks, second is withholding facts, and three is just outright lying,” Zeldin said.

The New York Congressman clarified that Schiff lied about his whistleblower contact, lied when he gave his opening statement as Acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, testified, and he lied when he said that President Trump asked Ukrainian President Zelensky to “manufacture dirt”. (Continued Below)

“If we all had Ambassador Volker’s testimony, we would know that that’s not true. We would also know that it obliterated the quid pro quo charge, that fairy tale that President Trump supposedly demanded there would be an investigation opening against the Biden’s in order to get aid from the United States to Ukraine,” Zeldin pointed out.

Pat. A Cipollone, counsel to the President, sent a scathing letter to House Democrats on Tuesday, in response to what he called their “numerous, legally unsupported demands” for a “partisan and unconstitutional impeachment inquiry.”

“The President cannot allow your constitutionally illegitimate proceedings to distract him and those in the Executive Branch from their work on behalf of the American people,” Cipollone wrote in part. (Video Below)

Schiff on Sunday, during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation”, defended holding testimony behind closed doors in the impeachment inquiry, and likened “this phase of the investigation” to a “grand jury.”

“We want to make sure that we meet the needs of the investigation and not give the President or his legal minions the opportunity to tailor their testimony and in some cases fabricate testimony to suit their interests,” Schiff said.

Rep. Zeldin responded on Twitter to Schiff’s “grand jury” statement: “Schiff just said his super secret depositions are analogous to grand jury proceedings & that’s why it needs to be done out of public view in the Capitol basement. If that’s the case, then why is he publicly leaking anything at all said [if] he thinks can possibly be spun in his favor?”

(Continued Below)

Rep. Lee Zeldin’s official tweets:

Rep. Zeldin also tweeted Sunday, “With no relevant experience, Hunter got paid 50k+ p/month by corrupt foreigners, solely bc he was the VP’s son. VP Biden threatened Ukraine w/the loss of $1B if the state prosecutor wasn’t immediately fired, who btw, had an open case into Burisma/Zlochevsky. Those are ALL facts!”

“NO ONE in the Obama admin was more conflicted out to run point w/ Ukraine than Joe Biden. Maybe the US needs to change laws to make sure this never happens again in the future. If that Biden family scheme in Ukraine w/Burisma & Zlochevsky wasn’t illegal, then it should’ve been,” he added.

(Related: Tom Fitton Explains How Dems Effort To Impeach Trump Is Really A ‘Coup’: ‘It’s An Attack On Our Constitutional Republic’)