As Twitchy reported earlier, top members of Congress were briefed Thursday morning on that New York Times bombshell that Russia had placed a bounty on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and President Trump did nothing about it, although top officials say the CIA wasn’t confident enough in the intel to raise it to the level of the president or vice president. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called that excuse a “con” because intelligence is never 100 percent certain.
The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway reminds us that top aides of Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, we’re briefed on the story back in February and Schiff “held no hearings, told no one, did nothing.” Apparently Schiff didn’t see the need to bring the rumor to his collegaues’ attention on the committee.
Adam Schiff's top aides were briefed on Russia bounty suspicions. In February. In Afghanistan. Schiff didn't think it was significant enough to alert colleagues on Intel committee, held no hearings, told no one, did nothing. New from me and @seanmdav https://t.co/oZ4NR6NyvD
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) July 2, 2020
Hemingway and Sean Davis write in The Federalist:
Asked by a reporter Tuesday if he had any knowledge of the Russia story prior to the New York Times report, Schiff said “I can’t comment on specifics.”
Schiff’s recent complaints that Trump took no action against Russia in response to rumors of Russian bounties are curious given that Schiff himself took no action after his top staff were briefed by intelligence officials. As chairman of the intelligence committee, Schiff had the authority to immediately brief the full committee and convene hearings on the matter. Schiff, however, did nothing. He did not brief his committee on the matter, nor did he brief the gang of 8, which consists of top congressional leadership in both chambers.
Schiff is demanding that the Trump administration brief all of Congress about the unverified allegations, yet he himself did not ask for a briefing of the Intelligence Committee following the February briefing of his own staff.
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Maybe that’s why Schiff, if not Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, have been relatively quiet Thursday.
So, AGAIN, they are guilty of the exact thing they accuse President Trump of.
— RICO aka msm/dem/bureaucracy/and now judiciary (@NikitasDad) July 2, 2020
Now we know where to start the investigation on the leaker.
— Stop with the Fear Porn (@BobtheReplier) July 2, 2020
Sounds like he might have found it significant enought to alert the @nytimes though… maybe.
Schiff is an enemy of America.
— Conservative Public School Teacher (@RightyTeacher) July 2, 2020
Schiff has to be removed from the Intelligence Committee. He's dangerous at this point.
— Milford Penn (@milford421) July 2, 2020
When will Schiff be held accountable?
— Pete Lynch (@p8rlynch) July 2, 2020
This is all just a mind game where we're being assigned our next thing to be angry about.
— Randy Rowell (@rrrowell) July 2, 2020
Correct. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) July 2, 2020
Yep … we were supposed to be angry with Trump for being slow in reacting to the coronavirus pandemic, but that started to fizzle out in the news after the George Floyd riots cured COVID-19, so the New York Times tossed this red meat to the Left in hopes of starting another month-long news cycle.
Acosta looks ready to weep uncontrollably
— carolyn (@MTCDo5) July 2, 2020
Guessing there will be no NY Times follow up on this development.
— Brian McKeon (@Bbbmckeon) July 2, 2020
They’ll carry Pelosi’s remarks, probably. We’re sure they had a photographer front-and-center for her little press conference.
So he’s lying. Again
— Lala (@lacoolio1) July 2, 2020
Schiff needs to testify regarding what he knew and when he knew it. Why did he keep it a secret?
— Land of the Free & Home of the Brave (@HappinessIn2020) July 2, 2020
I know the media won't cover this story because it doesn't hurt Trump. But US service personal could have lost their lives by Schiff withholding this information. He should be held accountable for this dereliction of duty as Intel chair.
— Andrew Patti (@AndrewPatti3) July 2, 2020
Sean Parnell made that same point.
Prob wanted to save as an October surprise. The Dems are running a not-so-shadow government with complicit bureaucrats and media.
— T Dolan (@triciabruz) July 2, 2020
He was saving it for impeachment 2.0
— leave me alone Karen (@_Justcalmdown_) July 2, 2020
This whole thing will silently disappear into the abyss now…
— ☯️Christine??? (@Dreambout45) July 2, 2020
We’re thinking President Trump visiting the white supremacist monument Mount Rushmore will keep this off the front pages.
Related:
Chad Pergram notes silence from those briefed on Russian bounty intel; Nancy Pelosi calls for sanctions https://t.co/TBBea6BxSX
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 2, 2020
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