Rep. Adam Schiff isn’t convinced that President Trump was simply getting used to the ethical standards of being president, something which Trump’s allies have been saying in response to former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony his private conversations with Trump.
“I don’t buy it at all,” Schiff, D-Calif., said on CNN hours after Comey testified on Thursday.
After saying Wednesday that if Trump did float a loyalty pledge it would be inappropriate, House Speaker Paul Ryan offered more a defense Thursday morning, telling reporters that Trump is “just new to this” in regards to Comey’s seven-page prepared testimony, which also alleged Trump pressured him to let go of an investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynn.
Schiff wasn’t satisfied with that line of defense and went as far as to say Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he allegedly asked everyone to leave the room before discussing Flynn with Comey.
“I don’t think you can make an argument that we hold this president to a different ethical standard unless he’s suggesting the president is new to high ethical standards or new to commitment, to be honest to the public. That doesn’t fly,” Schiff said. “And what’s more, I found among the most powerful testimony when the director said the president cleared the room. Wanted the attorney general out and everybody else out of the room. To me as a former prosecutor that says this is someone conscious what he is about to do is wrong.”
Rep. Adam Schiff says the defense that Pres. Trump is “just new to this,” “just doesn’t fly” https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM https://t.co/ityLC5jfeD— Anderson Cooper 360 (@AC360) June 9, 2017
Other Trump allies have offered a slightly different defense of Trump, saying his comments to Comey were misunderstood. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski argued that when Trump spoke of loyalty, he meant “loyalty to the country.” Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dismissed Trump’s language as being harmless “normal New York City conversation.”
