Nation/World

Trump says Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi committed ‘Treason’ and should be ‘impeached’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump lashed out against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff, accusing them of treason and calling for their “impeachment” in a series of tweets Sunday night.

The California political leaders are leading the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into Trump that is focused on the president's outreach to foreign governments to help him win reelection in the 2020 presidential election.

Pelosi announced the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry into the president about two weeks ago and Schiff, as the head of the House Intelligence Committee, is overseeing the effort.

"Nancy Pelosi knew of all of the many Shifty Adam Schiff lies and massive frauds perpetrated upon Congress and the American people, in the form of a fraudulent speech knowingly delivered as a ruthless con, and the illegal meetings with a highly partisan 'Whistleblower' & lawyer," the president tweeted.

"This makes Nervous Nancy every bit as guilty as Liddle' Adam Schiff for High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even Treason. I guess that means that they, along with all of those that evilly 'Colluded' with them, must all be immediately Impeached!," he added.

Members of the House and Senate cannot be impeached. They can, however, be expelled by a congressional vote in the applicable chamber.

Trump has repeatedly targeted Schiff with insults, claims of treason and calls for his resignation from Congress since the inquiry began. The president has called Schiff "shifty," "liddle," a "lowlife" and "a stone-cold liar."

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Schiff, who was also the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee when it first began looking into allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, is seen as the face of the Democrats' impeachment inquiry into the president.

"He would much rather vilify an opponent than have to explain his actions," Schiff said in recent interview with The Times. "He doesn't want to talk about his behavior; he wants to attack others."

The tweets come after House Democrats issued a sweeping subpoena to the White House on Friday for documents on Trump's dealings with Ukraine and for additional records from Vice President Mike Pence. Pelosi and Schiff had threatened the subpoena earlier in the week, making clear they're not afraid to take on the executive branch and Trump as its leader.

"The White House needs to understand that any action like that that forces us to litigate or have to consider litigation will be considered further evidence of obstruction of justice," Schiff said at a press conference.

He added that any such action could signal that officials are trying to conceal facts that would corroborate allegations in a whistleblower complaint that triggered the inquiry into Trump.

“They just need to know that even as they try to undermine our ability to find the facts around the president’s effort to coerce a foreign leader to create dirt that he can use against a political opponent, that they will be strengthening the case on obstruction if they behave that way,” Schiff said.

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