Meghan McCain took powerful Democratic representative Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) to task on The View on Thursday over his Russia-collusion accusations.
“I think at this point in time it’s really difficult for me and many Americans to differentiate between what is over-hyped and what is not,” McCain started. “You’ve said on more than one occasion that you’ve seen ‘ample evidence’ of the Trump campaign’s Russia collusion. Last March you said you have more than circumstantial evidence of treasonous collusion with Russia.”
“What specifically were you referring to? And please be specific because if it’s true I do believe Americans have the right to know a year later what that is.”
Schiff said he had no new evidence of collusion with Russia to offer, but insisted the facts already known by the public are “pretty damning.” He also denied ever using the word “treason” to describe the collusion.
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee mentioned former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who told an Australian diplomat in Britain that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos had been told by Moscow that Russia had emails damaging to the Democratic presidential candidate. When evidence two months later pointed to Russia as the entity behind leaking Democratic National Committee emails, some looked askance at the Trump associate, wondering what he may have known about it beforehand.
Schiff also brought up the Trump Tower meeting between a Russian lawyer, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner, which the two Trump family members were told would reveal compromising information on Hillary Clinton. The meeting ended up being fruitless.
“Is it enough for Mueller to bring charges?” the daughter of Senator John McCain interrupted. “Because if it isn’t enough for Mueller to bring charges then what does that mean?”
“Bob Mueller will make the decision whether there is proof beyond reasonable doubt to indict and convict people,” Schiff responded. The important thing, he said, is to lay out the facts about Papadopoulos and the Trump Tower meeting for the public.
“Don Jr. is told, ‘Hey, at the highest levels, ultra-sensitive, we have information to incriminate Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government effort to help Donald Trump.’ That looks a lot like collusion to me,” he continued.
“I just think if Mueller doesn’t end up charging him it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors,” an unconvinced McCain concluded.