WATCH: Sen. Schiff Underscores Need for an Experienced Director of National Intelligence, Slams Trump’s Latest Abuse of Justice Department

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined MS NOW's The Weeknight to emphasize the need for a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) who has experience in the intelligence community and will not bend to the president's bidding.

Schiff also slammed Trump's latest abuse of the Justice Department amid news that California Governor Gavin Newsom has also come under investigation by the department.

View the full interview here.

Key Excerpts:  

On Jay Clayton echoing the president's conspiracies:

[…] What concerns me more, frankly, is we saw him audition for this role by echoing the president's conspiracy theories about voting in California. We saw him audition for this role by saying that he thought that the slush fund was a great deal, was a good idea. If he is going to allow himself to become a pawn of the president or echo the president's talking points, even when they're at odds with the facts, then what is he going to do as DNI? Will he be doing the same thing Tulsi Gabbard did by going to Georgia to watch the seizure of ballot boxes? Will he be doing the same thing Tulsi Gabbard did by telling an intelligence agency or council to rewrite its conclusion, because it's not compatible with what the president wants to hear? So, this is what most concerns me about it.

On Trump's continued weaponization of the Justice Department:

[…] And Gavin is just the latest on the enemies list, is part of what has just destroyed any semblance of the rule of law in that department. You can't tell me this is a pure coincidence that they decide to go after a Democratic candidate, likely candidate for president, and his family. That this was purely random. The president makes it clear this is deliberate, and I think people are growing numb to this extraordinary abuse of the Justice Department. I spent almost six years with the Justice Department. All of this was unthinkable, that the president would be directing prosecutions from the White House. So, I think the presumption is now completely flipped from the presumption the public used to have about when somebody was under investigation - well there must be something there, or they wouldn't do it. Now, I think the presumption has to be, particularly when the president is targeting someone, this is bad faith until it's proven otherwise.

On the need for a nonpartisan Director of National Intelligence:

[…] This office was created to assimilate information from throughout these other 17 intelligence agencies. The DNI also is somebody who briefs the president and makes the president aware of threats facing the country. If you have someone with no experience in that role that has never worked in the intelligence community, overseen the intelligence community, has any intelligence experience whatsoever, like Clayton. They're learning that job on the way. And is this really who you want to be briefing the president when his really prime qualification is as a private securities lawyer? That's not necessarily the best experience for advising the president on national security threats to the country.

###