Rep. Schiff: It’s ‘Certainly Inappropriate’ Nunes Divulged Targets of Surveillance

‘If you have a chairman who is interacting with the White House … it throws a profound doubt over whether that can be done credibly’

RUSH EXCERPT:
REPORTER: "One, what are the Democrats' next step? Are you planning to pull out of the investigation like you did in the Benghazi query? And number two, did the chairman reveal any classified information by disclosures to the press today."
SCHIFF: "We actually stayed on the Benghazi select committee, though we knew from the outset that it was essentially going to be a political instrument to tear down Secretary Clinton's numbers. And, of course, we will have to analyze what this development means. I do think that if there is any chance remaining for us to conduct this investigation, we need to do it. As I said earlier in the week, we could do a tremendous service to the country if we're able to do a credible investigation. And at the end of the day, provide a report to the American people that has Democrats and Republicans on the same page. But if you have a chairman who is interacting with the white House, and sharing information with the White House when people around the White House are the subject of the investigation, and doing so before sharing it with the committee, it throws a profound doubt over whether that can be done credibly."
REPORTER: "Did chairman Nunez reveal any classified information today?"
SCHIFF: "Well, it's certainly inappropriate for us to be discussing whether specific people were the subject of collection, or incidental collection to any degree that can divulge who the targets of that surveillance may be. So I'm not prepared to say that what the chairman said was classified or unclassified. I can say that it is beyond a regular to receive any evidence that's within the scope of an investigation, and clearly if the chairman is right about the content here, it's one of the scope of the issues we're looking at whether procedures are being followed and things are being leaked. And I would say that the most profound concern here I have is that these actions simply raise enormous doubt about whether the committee can do its work. And I think that more than anything else I've seen, this makes the most profound case for the formation of an independent commission."

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