Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Thursday that he wears President Trump’s nicknames for him as a “badge of honor.”
During an MSNBC interview, the House Intelligence Committee chairman said, “I guess now that Bob Mueller is no longer in the target zone, I am one of the favorite villains of the president.” He was referring to special counsel Robert Mueller.
“I wear that as a badge of honor honestly, but I do have to say I am troubled by the fact that the President spends so much of his time working on childish nicknames for me and others rather than attending to the challenges facing the country,” he added.
[Related: Adam Schiff insists there is ‘evidence of collusion’ against ‘deeply unpatriotic’ Trump]
.@AdamSchiff says he “wears” the nickname “pencil neck” — given to him by Trump — as “a badge of honor.”
“I am troubled by the fact the President spends so much of his time working on childish nicknames for me and others rather than attending to the concerns of the country.” pic.twitter.com/mRkKeApM6t
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 4, 2019
Trump called for Schiff’s resignation last week for “knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking” following the conclusion of Mueller’s investigation, which according to a summary from Attorney General William Barr, found no direct evidence of collusion with the Russia government by the president.
All Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee called for him to step down as chairman.
Trump has referred to Schiff as “little Adam Schitt” in the past, and last week crafted a new moniker for the congressman: “Pencil-neck Adam Schiff.” The name harkens to 1960s and 1970s wrestler “Classy” Freddie Blassie, who popularized his signature catchphrase “pencil-neck geek” early in his career when a rival wrestler went by the name “The Geek.”
