Schiff on Trump and the future of American Democracy (with Adam Schiff)
Skullduggery
Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman, Victoria Bassetti
4.0 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 October 2021
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In late September of 2019, Congressman Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, gathered with his staff to read a remarkable document just released by the Trump Whitehouse. It was the transcript to the phone call Trump had that July with Ukrainian President Zelensky stating, "I'd like you to do us a favor though..." then pressing Zelensky to launch an investigation of Joe Biden and his son Hunter. At this point, Schiff had muttered to himself, "Holy Shit." He thought in that moment that he had acquired the ultimate smoking gun. He then lead the charge in Trump's first impeachment. This is a scene he recounts in his brand new book, Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could. Flash forward to today. How have the effort of Schiff and others been trying to purge Trump from politics? And what lessons has he learned to help guide members of his fellow January 6th committee as they seek to get to the bottom of Trump's role in one the darkest days in American Democracy? Congressman Schiff joins to breakdown his book and weigh in on where we are and could be headed.
GUEST:
- Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff), Rep. from CA's 28th Congressional District, Chairman of the House Intel Committee @HouseIntel
HOSTS:
- Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo News
- Daniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo News
- Victoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host)
RESOURCES:
- Congressman Adam Schiff's new book - Here.
- Yahoo News' latest story on Schiff - Here.
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| 0:00.0 | In late September 2019, Congressman Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, |
| 0:07.1 | gathered with his staff to read a remarkable document just released by the Trump White House. |
| 0:12.2 | It was the transcript of the phone call Trump had had that July with Ukrainian President Zelensky. |
| 0:17.7 | The one where, after Zelensky asked the president about providing his country with jabbal and |
| 0:22.4 | anti-tank missiles to fight Russian aggression, Trump told him, I would like you to do us a favor, |
| 0:28.0 | though, and then proceed it to press the Ukrainian leader to launch an investigation of Joe Biden |
| 0:33.4 | and his son Hunter. Oh my god, one staffer proclaimed at the seemingly brazen request for a |
| 0:39.1 | quid pro quo. Jesus Christ blurred another. As for Schiff, he kept muttering to himself, holy shit, |
| 0:46.7 | holy shit, holy shit. Schiff had finally gotten what he believed was the ultimate smoking gun, |
| 0:53.5 | and it emboldened him to leave the charge for Trump's first impeachment, a senior recounts in his |
| 0:58.8 | new book Midnight in Washington. It's a detail behind the scenes, occasionally eye-popping |
| 1:04.0 | account of his years-long campaign to expose and suitably punish what he viewed as the former |
| 1:10.0 | president's raw corruption. But how effective have Schiff's efforts to purge Donald Trump from |
| 1:15.3 | American political life been? And what lessons has he learned that will guide him and his fellow |
| 1:20.5 | members of the January 6th committee as they seek to get to the bottom of Trump's role in one of |
| 1:25.3 | the darkest days of American democracy? We'll discuss that and much more with Schiff on this episode |
| 1:31.7 | of Skull Duggery. Hi, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President |
| 1:41.5 | of the United States. I will to the best of my building. Reserve, protect and defend. |
| 1:46.8 | Constitution of the United States. So help me God. So help me God. So help me God. |
| 1:57.2 | I'm Michael Isgoff, Chief Investigator Correspondent for Yahoo News. I'm Dan Clydeman, Editor in |
| 2:02.0 | Chief of Yahoo News. And I'm Victoria Besedi, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. |
| 2:08.0 | So we have been eager to have Schiff on the pod once again. He's been on a few times before, |
... |
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