Former Rep. Trey Gowdy said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has made himself a “fact witness” for how he dealt with a whistleblower whose complaint raised concerns about whether President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate a political rival.
The California Democrat is facing criticism for making misleading statements about what he knew of the whistleblower after it was revealed he learned details about the unnamed CIA official’s complaint before it was formally filed and is creating doubt about whether he was the right choice to lead the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
“How long is Speaker Pelosi going to put up with Adam mishandling this investigation?” Gowdy said Friday on Fox News. “She has already taken it away from Jerry Nadler. I’m sure the guys and gals on the Judiciary Committee are not happy about having Adam Schiff do it. But if you are going to do it, at least don’t screw it up, Adam.”
The whistleblower reportedly approached a House Intelligence Committee aide with vague details of what would appear in the complaint. The aide then shared with Schiff some of what the intelligence official said but did not divulge the identity of the person.
Yet, as the fight for access to the complaint between Congress and the Trump administration unfolded, Schiff repeatedly indicated his office had no contact with the whistleblower.
“We have not spoken directly with the whistleblower,” Schiff told MSNBC days after the complaint’s existence went public last month.
Schiff’s Republican colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee have accused him of concealing information from the whistleblower, and his statements even earned him four “Pinocchios” from the Washington Post fact-checker.
Gowdy said this situation complicates an already difficult process being undertaken by Democrats.
“Right now he’s made himself a fact witness. He is in the evidentiary chain for what happened with this whistleblower, and I hope the Republicans make him testify,” Gowdy said.
Gowdy, a former South Carolina congressman who left Capitol Hill earlier this year, was once a member of the intelligence panel. He noted that Schiff appeared to have a different attitude toward one party meeting with whistleblowers when the roles were reversed.
“Schiff has received a pass — the whole time I was in Congress, I don’t ever remember a negative word about him. I remember him complaining when Republicans would meet with whistleblowers. I remember him complaining when the Republicans would ever meet with witnesses and he wasn’t present,” Gowdy said.
“I don’t know how long Nancy Pelosi is going to put up with this,” he added.
