GOP Rep. Formally Asks Lindsey Graham to Subpoena Schiff's Call Records

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pauses as he speaks to media about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pauses as he speaks to media about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Rep. Jim Banks (R-ID) is suggesting that there is one way to stop Rep. Adam Schiff from continuing to abuse his power in his position as chair of the House Intel Committee.

Fight fire with fire.

Banks called out Schiff exposing the call logs of several people including journalist John Solomon, the ranking member, Rep. Devin Nunes and a member of his staff, as well as two personal attorneys for the president, Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow. The call information was obtained by subpoenaing the records of five people including Giuliani.

Banks made it clear he didn’t think that Schiff was going to stop unless he got the same treatment and suffered some consequences for his actions.

So he announced he had formally asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to subpoena Schiff’s phone records, those of Mark Zaid (the lawyer for the whistleblower) and those of Joe and Hunter Biden.

Given Schiff’s contacts with the whistleblower and his lies about those contacts, Graham would have far more argument to get Schiff’s records than virtually any of the people whose calls were published in his report.

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From Daily Caller:

“The public has a right to know with whom Rep. Adam Schiff has coordinated his impeachment effort and if America’s national security is at risk in any way as a result of Rep. Schiff’s actions,” Banks wrote in the letter.

“This quixotic impeachment inquiry must be shelved, Mr. Chairman. And Rep. Adam Schiff should be held to the same standard to which he holds others. It is time to see his phone records,” Banks added.

“Chairman Graham looks forward to reviewing Congressman Banks’ letter,” Kevin Bishop, the communication director for Graham, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Banks indicated on Sunday that he’d heard from Graham.

From Fox News:

Graham replied and said doesn’t think that’s a good idea, explaining that “when members start subpoenaing each other as part of Oversight, the whole system breaks down.”

I share Graham’s concern. I want to be very clear – I think surveilling members of the opposite political party is a disgrace. But I don’t think it will stop unless we start fighting back. We need to show Mr. Schiff that he can’t just abuse his power and get away with it.

In a sense, this episode is a small illustration of the larger fight that’s embroiled Washington.

Democratic leaders like Schiff have chosen to abuse their power of oversight to politically damage a sitting president ahead of his reelection bid. Republicans, independents – even law professor Jonathan Turley, who testified before the House Judiciary Committee last week and said he didn’t vote for Donald Trump – are rightfully calling them out for it.

If we don’t push back against this impeachment sham, we all lose. The country loses. We need to signal to Democrats they will not get away with their abuse of power anymore.

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