All Pumped Up with Impeachment Fever, Schiff Demands Access to Trump's Calls with Putin

Where the #&%* is the IG’s FISA report? Because we need it now.

We knew this would happen. Once chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff (D-CA) got his hands on the transcript of President Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, we knew it was only a matter of time before he began demanding others. And he did not disappoint.

Thrilled to be back in the spotlight once again and all pumped up with impeachment fever, Schiff is determined to obtain records of Trump’s phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.

During a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff said, “I think the paramount need here is to protect the national security of the United States and see whether in the conversations with other world leaders – and in particular with Putin – that the president was also undermining our security in a way that he thought would personally benefit his campaign.”

What a terrible idea. It was unfortunate that Trump was put into a situation where he was forced to release the Zelensky transcript. Allegations in a whistleblower’s complaint suggested he had acted illegally and it had sparked a media firestorm. Believing it was best for Americans to see the transcript for themselves, he hoped this would prevent the complaint from becoming the focus of the news cycle for the next few months. There was a specific reason to release this document.

Schiff’s new demands access to the President’s phone calls with Putin or any other random leader would be nothing more than a fishing expedition. Schiff would simply be searching for the next crime to pin on Trump.

Contrary to the opinion of that obnoxious, shameless, soulless, pompous, repulsive reptile, the release of any additional conversations with world leaders would be detrimental to national security. What president, prime minister or dictator would feel free to speak honestly with Trump if they thought their conversation might one appear on the front page of the New York Times? And that would make America far less secure.

Moreover, it would diminish not only President Trump, but future U.S. presidents, in the eyes of foreigners if his phone calls suddenly became subject to Congressional monitoring. This is an unprecedented request. It is also unreasonable and outrageous.

Schiff added, “If those conversations with Putin or with other world leaders are sequestered in that same electronic file that is meant for covert action, not meant for this, if there’s an effort to hide those and cover those up, yes, we’re determined to find out.”

Schiff knows very well why the Trump administration has had to take such measures. Shortly after Trump took office, the contents of his conversations with the Australian Prime Minister and the Mexican President were leaked to the press. Since that time, it has become standard operating procedure for Trump’s phone calls with world leaders to be saved to a private server. But Schiff would rather use this to establish Trump’s guilt than admit why it’s necessary.

Hotair’s Jazz Shaw brings up another reason why this is a very bad idea. He wrote:

This will kneecap future presidents of both parties and limit their ability to conduct more subtle diplomatic negotiations. And Congress might start looking at taking a walk down memory lane, as well. Should we be able to retrieve and publish transcripts of all of Barack Obama’s calls with Putin to see what they were discussing after he told the Russian leader he would have “more flexibility” after his election? Something tells me the Democrats are opening a can of worms that they won’t be able to close again.

That would be a no, Mr. Schiff.

Watch the video. The relevant portion starts at 5:22.

(Just for fun: Below this video is a recording of Schiff being offered pictures of “naked Trump” by a hoaxer.)