House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff and ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes.
- Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California tempered demands for President Donald Trump's impeachment and said that a more prudent action would be to "vote his ass out of office" in the 2020 US presidential election.
- A growing number of Democrats have urged the House to start impeachment proceedings, following the release of the special counsel's report.
- "I'm not there yet on impeachment," Schiff said during an interview on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday. "I may get there, he may get me there."
- "But here's the awful dilemma that we face," Schiff said. "If we don't impeach him, that sends a message - that this kind of conduct, this obstruction of justice, this kind of willing use of the help of a foreign adversary, all the lies and cover-up - that this is non-impeachable."
- "At the same time, if we do impeach him, and he is acquitted as he would likely be acquitted, then the message is 'those are not impeachable offenses,'" Schiff added.
- Schiff suggested that there was a safer bet in lieu of gambling with impeachment.
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Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California tempered demands for President Donald Trump's impeachment and said that a more prudent action would be to "vote his ass out of office" in the 2020 presidential election.
"I'm not there yet on impeachment," Schiff said during an interview on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday. "I may get there, he may get me there."
In an op-ed last year, Schiff warned Democrats not to "take the bait on impeachment," despite the allure of impeachment proceedings. Schiff's views echo that of other Democrats, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who have called for restraint on starting impeachment proceedings.
"But here's the awful dilemma that we face," Schiff said. "If we don't impeach him, that sends a message - that this kind of conduct, this obstruction of justice, this kind of willing use of the help of a foreign adversary, all the lies and cover-up - that this is non-impeachable."
"At the same time, if we do impeach him, and he is acquitted, as he would likely be acquitted, then the message is 'those are not impeachable offenses,'" Schiff added.
Alex Brandon/AP
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California stands next to a photograph of President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 17, 2017.
A growing number of Democrats, including some 2020 Democratic candidates, have urged the House to start the process, following the release of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference.
But Democrats who want Trump impeached face several roadblocks.
Two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote to convict the president, meaning at least 20 Republicans would have to cross party lines. Impeachment proceedings would also "tear the country apart" by deepening the partisan divide, according to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler of New York.
Schiff suggested that there was a safer bet in lieu of gambling with impeachment.
"At the end of the day ... there's only one way to deal with this problem, whether we impeach him or not, and that is to vote his ass out of office," Schiff said.
"I think people recognize whether he could be indicted or not, that his conduct is unethical, probably criminal in terms of at least the obstruction of justice," Schiff said, adding that "we have it in our power, we have it within our numbers to turn out and vote him out of office."
"And the bigger the repudiation of him at the ballot box, the more it says to ourselves," Schiff said.
Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, had been on the frontlines of the congressional investigation into Trump's finances and Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. His work has often drawn the ire of Republicans and Trump, who have recently called for his resignation.