POOL
Washington - 13 March 2018
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:
"Last night the majority on the Intelligence Committee made the decision to prematurely shut down the Russian investigation. The only authorized investigation in the House of Representatives into what the Russians did in the last election, what the U.S. government response was, and the issue of any coordination or collusion with the Trump campaign. That was a terrible disservice to the country and the American people, and represented a reneging on the commitment that was made at the outset of the investigation to follow the facts wherever they lead."
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2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:
"We will be putting together a report that will set out for the country what evidence we have seen to date, of what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian hacking and dumping operation, what evidence we have seen in terms of the Russian social media campaign, their paid media campaign, and yes the issue of collusion with the Trump campaign. There is significant evidence, much of it in the public domain, on the issue of collusion."
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3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee:
"Sadly, from a very early point in the investigation, the chairman made the decision that his mission was not to find out what Russia did, not to determine the role of U.S. persons, but rather to endeavor to distract the public to put the government on trial. That problem persisted throughout our investigation and has led to its premature conclusion last night. But the work is too important to leave undone. In particular, the American people need to know whether the Russians still have something they can hold over the president's head, the president of the United States. So our work is far from done, and we will be submitting to the public a detailed account of what we have learned to date, and the work that has to be done if not by us then by others."
4. Schiff and group leave podium