CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Adam Schiff

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Evan.

So let's go now to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff.

Congressman, your reaction to this exchange that you just saw with the president and George Stephanopoulos, where the president says he'd take the call, he'd take the information, probably wouldn't call the FBI, and his FBI director is wrong in saying he should.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Well, my reaction is much the way it is often these days which is stunning on the one hand and not at all surprising on the other.

Donald Trump has made it clear that he will engage in any action, no matter how unethical or unpatriotic, that he will go right up to the line of what's legal and indeed he looks like he crossed that line many times.

So, no, on the heels of Rudy Giuliani saying that, you know, he was off to Ukraine to see if he could get that foreign power to investigate a family member of one of the president's political rivals, on the heels of Jared Kushner refusing to rule out getting foreign help or whether he would call the FBI, it's not surprising. But it's stunning and does tell us we're going to have to legislate.

One of the conclusions Mueller was for the able to reach, one of the elements of the conspiracy he wasn't able to prove were with respect to Jared Kushner and the others getting dirt from the Russians was that that dirt getting -- getting dirt in that context was something of value that should have been reported. So, we're going to have to legislate that. Yes, you've got to report foreign contacts.

[19:35:01] And when you receive foreign help like, it's a campaign contribution.

BURNETT: And so, what you're saying is Mueller -- as Evan is pointing out, Mueller saying it's a thing of value. You're putting forward that that should be a law so it would be clear what was laid out in the Mueller report was indeed a criminal violation.

SCHIFF: I think it's going to be absolutely necessary, both to require disclosure of those kind of foreign contacts, particularly with a hostile foreign power but also to make it clear in terms of campaign law that if you get opposition research from a foreign government that that is something of value that needs to be reported. To deter the kind of unethical unpatriotic conduct the president engaged in the last campaign and apparently is completely willing to do all over again. He's learned absolutely nothing.

BURNETT: Just to be clear, you know, when George said, well, you know, Al Gore got the stolen briefing book, right, and reported it, the president said, well, this is different. This was just information. So, he is basically saying well the information that we could have thought could have gone into a briefing book, would have thought would have been that quality it's different because it wasn't already in the book? That's the argument he is making.

SCHIFF: Well, you know, the fact is this was stolen too. This was data stolen from the Clinton campaign. So whether it's a briefing book or stolen through a cyber-attack, that absolutely makes no difference whatsoever. The president's argument doesn't hold up.

And what's more, not only Christopher Wray disagrees with him, we had a hearing just today with FBI agents, former assistant U.S. attorney that was the Republican chosen witness, a Fox News contributor, and he too said they should have called the FBI. Anyone getting an overture by a foreign power during a presidential campaign should call the FBI.

BURNETT: I saw that. And I wonder what this means for Christopher Wray, who no doubt wants to do, you know, the right thing and try to keep stability and calm at the FBI. What's he supposed to do right now? Does he just sit there and try to ignore it and hope that this goes away?

SCHIFF: Well, I think that he is managing to walk the fine line very carefully of staying out of the public, you know, line of sight when he is differing with the president, unless it's absolutely necessary when he is asked a direct question like he was, he's going to give a direct answer whether the president likes it or not. But he does everything he can to avoid putting himself in the position of getting into a brawl with the president because he views his mission as looking after the men and women at the bureau, making sure the mission of the bureau gets done, and avoiding unnecessary friction with the White House.

BURNETT: So, where the president is going to try to take a leg to stand on on this, is to say that this was opposition research, right? If I could have gotten it from anyone, I got it from -- I happened to get it from a hostile foreign power, and, oh, you guys, meaning, you, Chairman, do it all the time. Here's what he said.

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TRUMP: You go and talk honestly to congressman, they all do it. They always have. And that's the way it is. It's called oppo research.

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BURNETT: What's your response to that?

SCHIFF: That's pure non-sense. In fact, this point came up in the committee today when one much our members pointed out that not a single member of the House of Representatives goes either soliciting foreign assistance in their campaign or I think if it were offered to them would go and not report it. I sure as heck hope that all my colleagues would do that.

So, the president is completely out of line. But this is typical for Donald Trump, which is he projects on others his own lack of morality. If he wouldn't call the FBI, he assumes no one would. If he is deceptive about something, he assumes everyone is.

If he is willing to do the unpatriotic thing and go to a foreign power for help, he assumes everyone will do the unethical thing. But that's just not the case and God help us if it ever becomes that way.

BURNETT: Chairman Schiff, thank you

SCHIFF: Thank you.

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