Within minutes of receiving notification that special counsel Robert Mueller had turned over his report on the Russia investigation, congressional Democrats were calling for the report to be fully released, including the underlying evidence. They have threatened subpoenas if it is not.

The demands are setting up a potential tug of war between congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump's administration that federal judges might eventually have to referee.

Six Democratic committee chairmen wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Friday that if Mueller has any reason to believe that Trump "has engaged in criminal or other serious misconduct," then the Justice Department should not conceal it.

"The president is not above the law and the need for public faith in our democratic institutions and the rule of law must be the priority," the chairmen wrote.

Reacting to the release, Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, told the Associated Press that "the American people paid for this report," adding "both American people and Congress have a right to see the full report. "

Lieu said although the special counsel report focused on Russia, the findings could also be used in a wide array of Judicary Committee investigations.

It's unclear what Mueller has found related to the president, or if any of it would be damning. In his investigation of whether President Donald Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia to sway the 2016 election, Mueller has already brought charges against 34 people, including six aides and advisers to the president, and three companies.

Lawmakers say they need the underlying evidence - including interviews, documents and material turned over to the grand jury - because the Justice Department has maintained that a president cannot be indicted, and also that derogatory information cannot be released about people who have not been charged. So if the investigation did find evidence incriminating against Trump, they may not be able to release it, under their own guidelines.

The Democrats say that it could be tantamount to a cover-up if the department did not let Congress and the public know what they found.

Washington - 22 March 2019

1. Wide, exterior view of Department of Justice

Los Angeles - 3 May 2018

2. STILL Image, Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat - California, Member of House Judiciary Committee

Torrence, California - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat - California: ++ AUDIO ONLY++

"Today is a proud day for America. Despite many attempts by Donald Trump to block this investigation Robert Mueller and his team were able to complete it. The fact that Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein kept their jobs I think is a strong testament to the vitality and strength of our institutions. This was a Republican led investigation of a Republican president and it was allowed to continue. I think that says a lot about America."

Washington - 22 March 2019

4. Wide, exterior view of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office

Torrence, California - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat - California: ++ AUDIO ONLY++

"Now in terms of distribution, the American people paid for this report. It is a matter of intense national interest and under both the separation of powers as well as just general fairness and transparency, both American people and Congress have a right to see the full report. "

Washington - 22 March 2019

6. Wide, exterior view of Department of Justice ++NIGHT SHOT++

Torrence, California - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat - California: ++ AUDIO ONLY++

"It's hard to know without knowing what's in the actual report. It's also important to understand that because the Department of Justice has taken the position that they won't indict a sitting president then the only other institution that can hold the press accountable is Congress. And we can't do that if we don't see the full report. So, that at every level when you look at it from separation of powers or the functions of both Congress and the special counsel in this case, the different functions we have to see the entire report."

Washington - 22 March 2019

8. Wide, people standing in front of White House

9. Close-up protester

Torrence, California - 22 March 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Ted Lieu, Democrat - California: ++ AUDIO ONLY++

"Special Counsel Mueller's investigation was largely centered on Russia. The House Judiciary Committee and other committees were interested in knowing did Donald Trump, his family, his associates commit any crime? Second, did they engage in any ethical misconduct, whether or not it rose to the level of a federal crime? And third how do we explain this to the American people to keep it from happening again?"

Washington - 22 March 2019

11. Wide, tourists walking in front of White House

12. Wide, White House ++NIGHT SHOT++

One day after special counsel Robert Mueller made his first public comments on the Russia investigation and stressed he didn't exonerate President Donald Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff blasted the president and Attorney General William Barr, saying Barr should resign and should never have been confirmed to begin with.

"I think he's a very dangerous man," Schiff told an audience in Los Angeles.

The California Democrat, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, also had stinging words for Trump.

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels," he said.

Schiff was circumspect, however, on the question of impeachment.

"Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate," he said.

"And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country

He said the U.S. is in this dilemma, not just due to the president's conduct.

"It's because an entire political party has become a cult of personality around the president of  the United States and will not do its constitutional duty," he said.

Los Angeles, California - 30 May 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Adam Schiff and moderator, Los Angeles city attorney Mike Feuer

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Now what makes Bill Barr so dangerous is that it is Bill Barr's view that the president could have shut down the Mueller investigation anytime he wanted because he thought it unfair. Now take a minute to let that sink in. Any president of the United States can stop any investigation into their criminal wrongdoing if they think it's unfair. That is a prescription for a president who is utterly above the law."

3. Mid of moderator and Rep. Adam Schiff on stage

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"I think he's a very dangerous man."

5. Wide of moderator and Rep. Adam Schiff on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

(Moderator Mike Feuer) "You've been critical of the way the attorney general handled the Mueller Report. Should Barr resign? (Schiff)  Absolutely, he should resign. (Applause) And you know more than that he should have never been appointed and confirmed to begin with."

7. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"We knew, of course, that he had written this lengthy legal memorandum diatribe against Bob Mueller and against the obstruction investigation itself. He should have been disqualified on that basis alone."

9. Mid of moderator and Schiff on stage

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Before we embark on something of this seriousness, I think the question is - is this the right thing for the country? And I'm not there yet, although the president seems to be doing everything in his power to get me there. You know one, one bridge that would be a bridge too far for me is if when the litigation is concluded, the president were to ignore a court order. That would be a bridge too far for me in terms of the present course."

11. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels."

13. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage  

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"I think there's a perception that if we declare we're in an impeachment proceeding that tomorrow all the sudden people begin to cooperate, including the administration. That is not likely to be the case."

15. Wide of Schiff and moderator

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate. And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country. So, I don't think we should be under the illusion that we can begin an inquiry only for the purpose of getting information. I think we have to understand where this leads us."

17. Wide of moderator and Schiff

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"And we shouldn't lose sight of the reason why we are in this dilemma is not alone because of the president's corrupt conduct. It's because an entire political party has become a cult of personality around the president of  the United States and will not do its constitutional duty."

19. Wide of Schiff with members of audience on stage

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says Attorney General William Barr did a "grave disservice" to the country by misrepresenting significant parts of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Speaking outside his congressional office Thursday in Burbank, California, Schiff said the attorney general had attempted to put a "positive spin for the president" on the report's findings.

The Democrat and frequent critic of the president says the report outlined "multiple attempts by the president to mislead the country, to interfere with the investigation, to make false statements to the American people and to urge others to lie to the American people."

Whether criminal or not, Schiff called Trump's actions "deeply alarming."

Burbank, California - 18 April 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Adam Schiff walking to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"The attorney general did a grave disservice to the country by misrepresenting significant parts of the Mueller report, by attempting to put a positive spin for the president on the special counsel's findings. The attorney general is not the president's personal lawyer, although he may feel he is. He is supposed to be the highest law enforcement officer in the land and he is supposed to represent the interests of the American people. But when the attorney general gives the perception that the president fully cooperated in the investigation when he didn't, that they provided all the information materials when they didn't, when the president in fact deprived the special counsel of perhaps the single most important piece of evidence, that is his own verbal testimony, that misleads the American people."

3. Cutaway of news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"On the issue obstruction of justice, the report outlines multiple attempts by the president to mislead the country, to interfere with the investigation, to make false statements to the American people and to urge others to lie to the American people, to urge those of his staff to take actions to further obstruct the investigation, which may have been refused but they were not refused owing to any goodwill or good motive on the president's part. Far to the contrary. These actions had a material impact on the investigation that in fact the special counsel was deprived of information or at least the timely access to that information as a result of things that the president did and said."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"If the special counsel as he made clear had found evidence exonerating the president he would have said so. He did not. He left that issue to the Congress of the United States and we will need to consider it."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"The facts that are now established by this report are damning. Whether they could or should have resulted in the indictment of the president or people around him, they are damning and we should call for better from our elected officials. The standard cannot simply be that you can do anything you like as long as you can declare at the end of the day, I am not a crook. That is not the ethical standard the American people expect in their president."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"We need to look at the full report. Certainly, what Bob Mueller has revealed on the obstruction of justice issue is the most concerning because that of course involves the president's own conduct, his own falsehoods to the American people his efforts to get other people to tell lies. His effort to deter people from cooperating with the investigation, his effort to reward those who stuck to the party line. All of which of course Bill Barr conveniently ignored in his press conference today. All of that is damning conduct by the president of the United States. And I think we need some time to let this sink in and understand the full repercussions for the country of having a president who lies to the country, who misleads the country, who urges others to do so. And frequently on a daily basis but most significantly when it concerns an investigation into Russian interference in our election."

11. Cutaway

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says Attorney General William Barr did a "grave disservice" to the country by misrepresenting significant parts of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Speaking outside his congressional office Thursday in Burbank, California, Schiff said the attorney general had attempted to put a "positive spin for the president" on the report's findings.

The Democrat and frequent critic of the president says the report outlined "multiple attempts by the president to mislead the country, to interfere with the investigation, to make false statements to the American people and to urge others to lie to the American people."

Whether criminal or not, Schiff called Trump's actions "deeply alarming."

Burbank, California - 18 April 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Adam Schiff walking to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"The attorney general did a grave disservice to the country by misrepresenting significant parts of the Mueller report, by attempting to put a positive spin for the president on the special counsel's findings. The attorney general is not the president's personal lawyer, although he may feel he is. He is supposed to be the highest law enforcement officer in the land and he is supposed to represent the interests of the American people. But when the attorney general gives the perception that the president fully cooperated in the investigation when he didn't, that they provided all the information materials when they didn't, when the president in fact deprived the special counsel of perhaps the single most important piece of evidence, that is his own verbal testimony, that misleads the American people."

3. Cutaway of news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"On the issue obstruction of justice, the report outlines multiple attempts by the president to mislead the country, to interfere with the investigation, to make false statements to the American people and to urge others to lie to the American people, to urge those of his staff to take actions to further obstruct the investigation, which may have been refused but they were not refused owing to any goodwill or good motive on the president's part. Far to the contrary. These actions had a material impact on the investigation that in fact the special counsel was deprived of information or at least the timely access to that information as a result of things that the president did and said."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"If the special counsel as he made clear had found evidence exonerating the president he would have said so. He did not. He left that issue to the Congress of the United States and we will need to consider it."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"The facts that are now established by this report are damning. Whether they could or should have resulted in the indictment of the president or people around him, they are damning and we should call for better from our elected officials. The standard cannot simply be that you can do anything you like as long as you can declare at the end of the day, I am not a crook. That is not the ethical standard the American people expect in their president."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California, House Intelligence Committee Chairman:

"We need to look at the full report. Certainly, what Bob Mueller has revealed on the obstruction of justice issue is the most concerning because that of course involves the president's own conduct, his own falsehoods to the American people his efforts to get other people to tell lies. His effort to deter people from cooperating with the investigation, his effort to reward those who stuck to the party line. All of which of course Bill Barr conveniently ignored in his press conference today. All of that is damning conduct by the president of the United States. And I think we need some time to let this sink in and understand the full repercussions for the country of having a president who lies to the country, who misleads the country, who urges others to do so. And frequently on a daily basis but most significantly when it concerns an investigation into Russian interference in our election."

11. Cutaway

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Congress will take the facts provided by special counsel Robert Mueller's report and continue with its own investigations, saying "nothing is off the table."

Pelosi spoke in California after Mueller indicated Wednesday that it's up to Congress to decide what to do next with his findings. The special counsel stressed in his first public statement on the Russia investigation that he didn't exonerate Trump, as the president claims. Mueller said he was guided by Justice Department policy against bringing charges against a sitting president.

Speaking at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Pelosi said she wants congressional committees to investigate whether Trump obstructed Mueller's investigation. She said, "Where they will lead us, we shall see" and added, "Nothing is off the table."

Mueller said Wednesday that charging President Donald Trump with a crime was "not an option" because of federal rules, but he used his first public remarks on the Russia investigation to emphasize that he did not exonerate the president.

The special counsel's remarks stood as a pointed rebuttal to Trump's repeated claims that he was cleared and that the two-year inquiry was merely a "witch hunt." They also marked a counter to criticism, including by Attorney General William Barr, that Mueller should have reached a determination on whether the president illegally tried to obstruct the probe by taking actions such as firing his FBI director.

Mueller made clear that his team never considered indicting Trump because the Justice Department prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president.

Mueller did not use the word 'impeachment," but said it was the job of Congress — not the criminal justice system — to hold the president accountable for any wrongdoing.

The special counsel's statement largely echoed the central points of his 448-page report, which was released last month with some redactions. But his remarks, just under 10 minutes long and delivered from a Justice Department podium, were extraordinary given that he had never before discussed or characterized his findings and had stayed mute during two years of feverish public speculation.

San Francisco, California - 29 May 2019

1. Speaker Nancy Pelosi walks onto stage, shakes hands with Gloria Duffy at Commonwealth Club of California event

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"Yes I think it would be useful for him to testify before Congress. First of all let me thank him for his patriotism, to him and to his team of lawyers and analysts and the rest who provided some important documentation of a laying out of the facts of what happened and very clearly stating that Russia made an assault on our elections. And that's just plain wrong. That's an attack on America. He also was clear in saying that if he thought the president could be cleared, he would have cleared him, but he didn't. And that is very clear. So he has given us an array of facts which we will take to the Congress and to the courts as we go forward as we investigate and litigate."

3. Wide of Pelosi and Duffy on stage

4. SOUNDBITE (English)  Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"The report- it has been misrepresented grossly by the attorney general. And while I have the utmost respect for special counsel Mueller and the work that he and his team did, I have total disrespect for the attorney general of the United States for his speaking untruths under oath before the Congress of the United States. And in addition to that misrepresenting in his spoon fed by his own choosing of words what the Mueller report was about. It did a disservice to truth and he did a disservice to the country."

5. Commonwealth Club sign on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"I said that we are on a path that we would hope that if it is justified to bring impeachment that it would be clear to the Senate as well. The decision has to go down this path will be to be determined by the facts and where they take us."

7. Image of Pelosi above stage

8. SOUNDBITE (English)  Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"You don't bring an indictment or you don't bring an impeachment unless you have all of the facts the strongest possible case so that the president is held accountable one way or another in the court of public opinion or in the court of law or in the Congress of the United States."

9. Pelosi and Duffy stand up to audience applause as event ends

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Congress will take the facts provided by special counsel Robert Mueller's report and continue with its own investigations, saying "nothing is off the table."

Pelosi spoke in California after Mueller indicated Wednesday that it's up to Congress to decide what to do next with his findings. The special counsel stressed in his first public statement on the Russia investigation that he didn't exonerate Trump, as the president claims. Mueller said he was guided by Justice Department policy against bringing charges against a sitting president.

Speaking at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Pelosi said she wants congressional committees to investigate whether Trump obstructed Mueller's investigation. She said, "Where they will lead us, we shall see" and added, "Nothing is off the table."

Mueller said Wednesday that charging President Donald Trump with a crime was "not an option" because of federal rules, but he used his first public remarks on the Russia investigation to emphasize that he did not exonerate the president.

The special counsel's remarks stood as a pointed rebuttal to Trump's repeated claims that he was cleared and that the two-year inquiry was merely a "witch hunt." They also marked a counter to criticism, including by Attorney General William Barr, that Mueller should have reached a determination on whether the president illegally tried to obstruct the probe by taking actions such as firing his FBI director.

Mueller made clear that his team never considered indicting Trump because the Justice Department prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president.

Mueller did not use the word 'impeachment," but said it was the job of Congress — not the criminal justice system — to hold the president accountable for any wrongdoing.

The special counsel's statement largely echoed the central points of his 448-page report, which was released last month with some redactions. But his remarks, just under 10 minutes long and delivered from a Justice Department podium, were extraordinary given that he had never before discussed or characterized his findings and had stayed mute during two years of feverish public speculation.

San Francisco, California - 29 May 2019

1. Speaker Nancy Pelosi walks onto stage, shakes hands with Gloria Duffy at Commonwealth Club of California event

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"Yes I think it would be useful for him (Robert Mueller) to testify before Congress. First of all let me thank him for his patriotism, to him and to his team of lawyers and analysts and the rest who provided some important documentation of a laying out of the facts of what happened and very clearly stating that Russia made an assault on our elections. And that's just plain wrong. That's an attack on America. He also was clear in saying that if he thought the president could be cleared, he would have cleared him, but he didn't. And that is very clear. So he has given us an array of facts which we will take to the Congress and to the courts as we go forward as we investigate and litigate."

3. Wide of Pelosi and Duffy on stage

4. SOUNDBITE (English)  Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"The report- it has been misrepresented grossly by the attorney general. And while I have the utmost respect for special counsel Mueller and the work that he and his team did, I have total disrespect for the attorney general of the United States for his speaking untruths under oath before the Congress of the United States. And in addition to that misrepresenting in his spoon fed by his own choosing of words what the Mueller report was about. It did a disservice to truth and he did a disservice to the country."

5. Commonwealth Club sign on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"I said that we are on a path that we would hope that if it is justified to bring impeachment that it would be clear to the Senate as well. The decision has to go down this path will be to be determined by the facts and where they take us."

7. Image of Pelosi above stage

8. SOUNDBITE (English)  Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:

"You don't bring an indictment or you don't bring an impeachment unless you have all of the facts the strongest possible case so that the president is held accountable one way or another in the court of public opinion or in the court of law or in the Congress of the United States."

9. Pelosi and Duffy stand up to audience applause as event ends

One day after special counsel Robert Mueller made his first public comments on the Russia investigation and stressed he didn't exonerate President Donald Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff blasted the president and Attorney General William Barr, saying Barr should resign and should never have been confirmed to begin with.

"I think he's a very dangerous man," Schiff told an audience in Los Angeles.

The California Democrat, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, also had stinging words for Trump.

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels," he said.

Schiff was circumspect, however, on the question of impeachment.

"Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate," he said.

"And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country

He said the U.S. is in this dilemma, not just due to the president's conduct.

"It's because an entire political party has become a cult of personality around the president of  the United States and will not do its constitutional duty," he said.

Los Angeles, California - 30 May 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Adam Schiff and moderator, Los Angeles city attorney Mike Feuer

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Now what makes Bill Barr so dangerous is that it is Bill Barr's view that the president could have shut down the Mueller investigation anytime he wanted because he thought it unfair. Now take a minute to let that sink in. Any president of the United States can stop any investigation into their criminal wrongdoing if they think it's unfair. That is a prescription for a president who is utterly above the law."

3. Mid of moderator and Rep. Adam Schiff on stage

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"I think he's a very dangerous man."

5. Wide of moderator and Rep. Adam Schiff on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

(Moderator Mike Feuer) "You've been critical of the way the attorney general handled the Mueller Report. Should Barr resign? (Schiff)  Absolutely, he should resign. (Applause) And you know more than that he should have never been appointed and confirmed to begin with."

7. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"We knew, of course, that he had written this lengthy legal memorandum diatribe against Bob Mueller and against the obstruction investigation itself. He should have been disqualified on that basis alone."

9. Mid of moderator and Schiff on stage

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Before we embark on something of this seriousness, I think the question is - is this the right thing for the country? And I'm not there yet, although the president seems to be doing everything in his power to get me there. You know one, one bridge that would be a bridge too far for me is if when the litigation is concluded, the president were to ignore a court order. That would be a bridge too far for me in terms of the present course."

11. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels."

13. Wide of moderator and Schiff on stage  

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"I think there's a perception that if we declare we're in an impeachment proceeding that tomorrow all the sudden people begin to cooperate, including the administration. That is not likely to be the case."

15. Wide of Schiff and moderator

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate. And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country. So, I don't think we should be under the illusion that we can begin an inquiry only for the purpose of getting information. I think we have to understand where this leads us."

17. Wide of moderator and Schiff

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"And we shouldn't lose sight of the reason why we are in this dilemma is not alone because of the president's corrupt conduct. It's because an entire political party has become a cult of personality around the president of  the United States and will not do its constitutional duty."

19. Wide of Schiff with members of audience on stage

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus117873

One day after special counsel Robert Mueller made his first public comments on the Russia investigation and stressed he didn't exonerate President Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff blasted President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr.

Schiff said Barr should resign and should never have been confirmed to begin with.

"I think he's a very dangerous man," Schiff told an audience in Los Angeles.

The California Democrat, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, also had stinging words for Trump.

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels," he said.

Schiff was circumspect, however, on the question of impeachment.

" Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate," he said.

"And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country

He said the U.S. is in this dilemma, not just due to the president's conduct.

"It's because an entire political party has become a cult of personality around the president of  the United States and will not do its constitutional duty," he said.

Los Angeles, California - 30 May 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Now what makes Bill bar so dangerous is that it is Bill Barr's view that the president could have shut down the Mueller investigation anytime he wanted because he thought it unfair. Now take a minute to let that sink in. Any president of the United States can stop any investigation into their criminal wrongdoing if they think it's unfair. That is a prescription for a president who is utterly above the law."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

(Moderator Mike Feuer) "You've been critical of the way the attorney general handled the Mueller Report. Should Barr resign? (Schiff)  Absolutely, he should resign. (Applause) And you know more than that he should have never been appointed and confirmed to begin with."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"The president's conduct in my view is completely incompatible with fitness for office across many different levels."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Before we embark on something of this seriousness, I think the question is - is this the right thing for the country? And I'm not there yet,  although the president seems to be doing everything in his power to get me there."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California / Chair, House Intelligence Committee

"Once you begin impeachment it carries a certain inexorable logic that carries through to its conclusion which is a vote on the House floor, and then a trial in the Senate. And that will be an absorbing and wrenching experience for the whole country. So, I don't think we should be under the illusion that we can begin an inquiry only for the purpose of getting information. I think we have to understand where this leads us."