Senator-elect Adam Schiff made clear he wasn’t going to allow Trump’s threats to sic the military on members of Congress such as himself and Nancy Pelosi while discussing the Gaetz nomination this Sunday on CNN.
Host Jake Tapper asked Schiff what he thought of Trump nominating Gaetz, and Speaker Johnson’s mealymouthed response when asked about refusing to release the House ethics committee report on Gaetz. Schiff hit the nail on the head with what Trump is doing by nominating these lunatics.
SCHIFF: I think he’s not only unqualified. He is really disqualified. Are we really going to have an attorney general who there’s credible allegations he was involved in child sex trafficking, potential illicit drug use, obstruction of an investigation, who has no experience serving in the Justice Department, only being investigated by it?
But, Jake, I think the whole point with these nominees, several of them, is their unqualification, is their affirmative disqualification. That’s Trump’s point, because what he wants to do with these nominees is establish that the Congress of the United States will not stand up to him with anything.
If they will confirm Matt Gaetz, they will do anything he wants. I mean, look how the speaker had to tie himself in knots, a couple days ago saying the speaker, effectively, should stay out of this,there are important reasons for that, and then getting involved in this, reversing himself, tying himself into a pretzel to placate Donald Trump.
And if the Senate should decide to confirm without seeing this Ethics report or to allow recess appointments, essentially, the Senate is saying, we’re going to abdicate our responsibility for advice and consent.
That’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s testing them to see how far he can go before any of them push back even one iota.
Tapper also asked Schiff about Trump calling him “the enemy within” along with Nancy Pelosi, and threatening to use the military against them.
TAPPER: Do you think that he was talking about using the military against you? And how concerned are you about retribution?
SCHIFF: Clearly, that’s what he was talking about. Would he go to that length? Would the military essentially fulfill some kind of an unconstitutional order?
I would hope the military would have more independence than that. Historically, the military has stood up to civilian authority where civilian authority has suggested, as in his first administration, unconstitutional acts.
Look, I’m not going to be intimidated by anything he says, by anything he does. If I was, I wouldn’t be on your show. I’m going to do my responsibility in this Senate. Californians are expecting me, first and foremost, to try to work and get things done, work across the aisle. Where the president wants to fight prices, I will work with him.
But where the president wants to engage in unconstitutional abuses of power, just as he did in the first administration, I will defend our state, I will defend the rights and freedom of the American people. So, yes, that’s what he said. That’s what he may try to do, but I’m not going to be intimidated.
We’ll see if there are any Republicans with a spine left as well. I’m not optimistic.
