Transcript: Rep. Adam Schiff on “Face the Nation,” July 3, 2022

The following is a transcript of an interview with Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California that aired Sunday, July 3, 2022, on “Face the Nation.”

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. He is a member of the January 6 Select Committee and chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Good morning, and good to have you here in person.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF: Thank you. Good to be with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to pick up on what we just heard from the Secretary when we were talking about this far-right group, the Proud Boys. This was one of the militias involved in January 6. And in this incredible testimony this past week from Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide, Chief of – Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, she testified she heard conversations inside the White House about this far-right group, and another one called the Oath Keepers. Is there corroborating evidence to show that there was communication between those militias in the White House?

REP. SCHIFF: I don’t want to get too far ahead of what we intend to present in our next hearings, but our very next hearing will be focused on the efforts to assemble that mob on the mall, who was participating who was financing it, how it was organized, including the participation of these white-nationalist groups like the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and others. And so we’ll be presenting information we have. We haven’t answered all the questions that we have, we continue our investigation into precisely the issue you’re describing.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Hutchinson was specific in saying Rudy Giuliani, the President’s personal attorney was someone she heard talking about them.

REP. SCHIFF: Well- and this is one of the reasons we had interest in his testimony and have interest in the testimony of others. We obviously want to probe any connection between these dangerous groups and the White House. I think we’ve gotten some answers, but there’s still a great deal we don’t know that we’re endeavoring to find out.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It’s an incredible allegation, of course. So we’ll track that. I want to also ask you, the vice-chair of the committee, Liz Cheney, said not prosecuting former President Trump over the attack on the Capitol would be a much graver constitutional threat to the country than the political difficulties involved with bringing charges. She said this in an ABC interview. She also said there are possible criminal referrals, not just one, but multiple. Do you agree?

REP. SCHIFF: I do. I do. You know, for four years, the Justice Department took the position that you can’t indict a sitting president. If the Department were now to take the position that you can’t investigate or indict a former president. Then, a president becomes above the law. That’s a very dangerous idea that the founders would have never subscribed to. Even more dangerous, I think in the case of Donald Trump. This- Donald Trump is someone who has shown when he’s not held accountable, he goes on to commit worse and worse abuses of power. So I agree with Judge Carter in California, I think there was evidence that the…