Rep. Adam Schiff said he doesn’t want FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign over his agency’s failure to stop the man who killed 17 people at a Florida high school last week, but questions should be answered about what happened.
The California Democrat said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Wray should not be forced out because his agency failed to follow up on a tip about the man who carried out the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Wednesday. A detailed tip about the shooter was called in to the bureau’s Miami field office last month.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott called for Wray’s resignation over the error.
“I don’t think the director should resign, no, but there clearly is a serious problem here when you have threat information of that detail and it didn’t get triggered in terms of an investigation and action,” Schiff said.
“There are only so many cases where you do have good input where people see something and say something, and to not follow up is inexcusable. There needs to be a full internal investigation by the Justice Department and that is now ongoing. There should be an investigation into this in Congress as well.”
Schiff added it’s time for gun control legislation to be taken up and be taken seriously by Congress.
“This has been a bipartisan challenge. It’s been a much bigger challenge in the GOP, but it’s been a challenge in the Democratic Party as well. But I’m firmly of the view, if you’re not out there and part of the solution, you’re part of the problem and voters need to turn you out,” he said.
“How much more of this are we going to take? How many more shootings? I can’t tell my son any more that he doesn’t need to be concerned about this at his school. People all over the country at every school sadly need to be concerned about this, and it’s time that congress got off its backside and did what the country has been demanding. Stare down the NRA and do the right thing and anyone who doesn’t of any party ought to fear the wrath of the voters.”
