Trump says Adam Schiff should be arrested 'for treason' because he 'parodied' controversial Ukraine call at hearing
President Donald Trump, on Monday, said that House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff should be arrested for "treason" because the congressman read a "parody" version of the infamous phone call between the president and the Ukrainian leader.
Trump, in a tweet, wrote: "Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement, pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and read it aloud to Congress and the American people. It bore NO relationship to what I said on the call. Arrest for Treason?"
Trump targeted Schiff, who has taken the lead for Democrats in the impeachment inquiry, after the Democrat, last week, read a parody version of the call transcript between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a congressional hearing.
Schiff, in his opening statement during an intelligence committee hearing on Thursday, said, "We've been very good to your country. Very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what, I don't see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you, though, and I'm gonna say this only seven times, so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of it — on this and on that."
The Democrat later admitted that he had paraphrased the scandalous White House memo as a joke. “My summary of the president’s call was meant to be at least, part, in parody. The fact that that’s not clear is a separate problem in and of itself. Of course, the president never said, ‘If you don’t understand me I’m going to say it seven more times,’ my point is, that’s the message that the Ukraine president was receiving in not so many words,” Schiff said.
An impeachment inquiry was launched by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week on Tuesday after a whistleblower lodged a formal complaint alleging that Trump had sought a "favor" from a Ukrainian leader during a call in a bid to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Shortly after Schiff mocked Trump's call, the president targeted him on Twitter and also while speaking to reporters at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York City last week. Trump, in his tweets last week, had also called for Schiff's resignation on the "totally made-up conversation."