Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told President Donald Trump to “put down your phone,” referring to his social media tirades, after Trump called his first impeachment an “illegal hoax” led by Schiff at the time.
Schiff’s comment took a dig at one of Trump’s latest Truth Social posts on Sunday.
“The Ukraine Impeachment (of me!) Scam was a far bigger Illegal Hoax than Watergate. I sincerely hope the necessary authorities, including CONGRESS, are looking into this!” the president wrote. “Adam ‘Schiffty’ Schiff was sooo dishonest and corrupt. So many laws, and protocols, were violated, and just plain broken!!!”
Schiff, who previously served in the House, led Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020. The impeachment proceedings concerned allegations that Trump withheld security aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Kyiv to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
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The message appears to suggest Trump’s Department of Justice may be narrowing its investigative focus on Schiff, who is accused of engaging in potential mortgage fraud, bank fraud, and wire fraud.
Schiff has not been charged yet, but it’s possible he may be next after New York Attorney General Letitia James, another one of Trump’s political opponents, was indicted last week on one count of bank fraud. Two weeks earlier, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for his allegedly perjurious 2020 testimony related to the bureau’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.
Days before the first indictment dropped, Trump publicly pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, James, and Schiff. The message was meant to be private, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Schiff scoffed in response to Trump’s Sunday missive, calling on the president to “focus on ending” the government shutdown instead of targeting Democrats perceived to be his political opponents.
“The government has been shut down for nearly half a month. Insurance costs are doubling for millions of families,” he posted on X. “And you’re still trying to rewrite history on the first bipartisan vote to impeach a U.S. president? Put down your phone and focus on ending the Trump shutdown.”
Nearly two weeks after the shutdown took effect, no funding resolution is in sight as Republicans and Democrats continue trading blame over who is responsible for the failed negotiations.
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Senate Democrats are objecting to the GOP short-term continuing resolution over healthcare assistance, while Senate Republicans are sticking to their “clean” continuing resolution that doesn’t contain partisan provisions. Senators will return Tuesday for the next vote on the spending legislation. The House is on an extended recess until the Senate can come to an agreement.
The White House is blaming Democrats for not agreeing to a bipartisan deal that would allow the federal government to reopen and ensure military troops get paid by Wednesday. To alleviate their financial pressure, the Pentagon is planning to provide paychecks to servicemembers this week in a move that Vice President JD Vance says will use funds from tariffs and income tax revenue.