Rep. Adam Schiff on Trump’s role in the Capitol insurrection, Ginni Thomas testimony

Judy Woodruff:

And let's turn now to a member of the panel investigating the January 6 attack. He is Representative Adam Schiff of California. He's one of seven Democrats on the committee.

And I spoke with him just moments ago.

Congressman Schiff, thank you so much for joining us.

First of all, what do you think today's hearing mainly accomplished?

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA):

Well, I think it showed the American people that, after Trump lost the election, after he lost in the courts, he and others around him cooked up this scheme to try to get the vice president to overturn the election, to violate his constitutional duty.

And they put this massive pressure on him to do so. The president whipped up his supporters to the point of violence on January 6, putting the life of his own vice president, someone who had been loyal and dutiful to him for four years, put his life in danger.

Vice President Pence did his job. He upheld as constitutional duty. And we're fortunate that he did. But it was yet another plot by the president to try to interfere with a peaceful transfer of power for the first time in our history.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, to the extent one of the committee's principal goals here is to tie the former president directly to the attack on the Capitol, do you think you have done that?

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Well, I think we have certainly.

And in terms of the pressure against the vice president and how that manifests itself in violence on the 6th, we played those clips of protesters, insurrectionists outside the Capitol talking about why they were marching on the Capitol, the violence they were going to do, chanting "Hang Mike Pence."

This was really what motivated the crowd. And even amidst this mayhem, the president tweeting out that Pence had lacked the courage to do the right thing, and instead of telling people to disperse and go home, the president merely talked at the end of the day about how much he loved these people that had assembled on the Mall that day.

So, yes, I think we demonstrated quite graphically the president's role in instigating that violence directed at his own vice president.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, I'm asking in part because, last week, Republican Congressman Jim Banks, who, as you know, had been chosen by the House minority leader to serve on the committee, but then was rejected, he told the "NewsHour" that what the committee has been doing so far, in his words, is selectively editing interviews and videos.

He said — and, now, this was before today's hearing, but he said, at that point, there's been no evidence that the president directed the attack. He pointed — he quoted the president as saying at the rally on January 6, telling people — quote — to "patriotically and peacefully make your voice heard."

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Well, you look at the footage of that rally and you see how the president is inciting that crowd, it doesn't look anything like peaceful.

And, of course, as we will display in later hearings, we will see what the president was doing during that violence and what he was not doing. And as the vice chair of our committee already indicated, in terms of future hearings, that the president seemed to be pleased by what he was seeing.

So, Mr. Banks, of course, opposed the formation of an independent commission to look into these events. Now he's complaining that we have a select committee doing so. We have interviewed over 1,000 people. So, yes, we're not able to publish all of that testimony, although, ultimately, we will.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, Congressman Banks and other Republicans — I know this, Congressman Schiff — they are now charging that the committee has been caught altering evidence.

He pointed out — he said the committee — quote — "doctored and altered" text messages between Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows, the former president's chief of staff. And, at one point, he was referring to a text message that I believe you made public a few months ago between Jordan and Meadows. And the accusation is that there was just a portion, an excerpt used, rather than the entire message, which took it out of context.

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Well, I think that was debunked months ago when he first made that argument, and we displayed what the full messages were.

These are pretty weak arguments against the compelling evidence that we have been showing. He doesn't really have an answer to this volume of testimony and video evidence that displayed the president's role in this scheme. So, if that's the best he can do, if that's the best the Republicans can do from the sidelines, it's pretty weak, indeed.

Judy Woodruff:

Congressman, today, the chair of the committee, I guess late this afternoon, Congressman Bennie Thompson, told reporters that the committee has now extended an invitation to Ginni Thomas, the wife of the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to come and talk with the committee.

When was that invitation — when did that go out? And has she responded?

Rep. Adam Schiff:

That invitation, I think, went out quite recently. And what I understand — and this is just public reporting — is that she indicated publicly — you would know better than I — that she was receptive to speaking into the committee.

But I only have that from public sources and can't confirm that myself. We hope that she will come in. We certainly have a number of areas that we would like to cover with her. And, really, any witness, frankly, that has knowledge about this plot to overturn the election or was in contact with those who were working on that plot, we want to talk to.

Judy Woodruff:

Well, there's been reporting that she was in regular contact with John Eastman, the former president's legal adviser, who was, of course — his name came up a lot today.

Is that what you want to speak with her about?

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Well, there are a number of things that we want to speak to her about, predominantly that came up during the course of our discovery of documents, in part with some of those that Mr. Eastman tried to withhold from the committee.

But the federal judge in California believed that some of the documents provided our — to our committee could not be protected by any privilege, because the judge found that they indicated a criminal plot, likely violating multiple laws, involving both Mr. Eastman and Donald Trump.

Judy Woodruff:

Do you have evidence that she was in contact with on any kind of basis John Eastman to discuss this plot that you're — that you're describing?

Rep. Adam Schiff:

You know, at this point, I'm not prepared to go into anything that the documents or other evidence might say or suggest.

It's one of the reasons we want to bring her in to talk. And, hopefully, we will be able to do that fairly soon.

Judy Woodruff:

Are there other witnesses — are there other individuals, I should say, the committee is reaching out to still at this hour, hoping to have them come testify?

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Oh, absolutely.

And, at the end of the hearing today, Chairman Thompson made an appeal again to people who have information evidence who have been weighing whether to come in to let the committee know. And, indeed, we continue to do interviews, we continue to do depositions, because, frankly, one lead leads to another.

There are often questions we want to go back to a witness for further clarification. So that investigative process continues.

Judy Woodruff:

Congressman Adam Schiff, who is a member of the House Select Committee on January 6, thank you so much.

Rep. Adam Schiff:

Thank you.