MR. SCHIFF: I thank the gentleman for yielding.
In terms of an obligation to consult the minority prior to initiation of investigation, this is the first time that I have heard formally that the FBI is under investigation, the Department of Justice are under investigation.
It is certainly true that we didn't support the subpoenaed documents, largely because we weren't even told about it until the subpoenas went out, but also because it was our understanding that Department of Justice was willing to cooperate and the FBI was willing to cooperate. And as we have seen in other aspects of the investigation, even cooperative witnesses are sometimes subpoenaed as a way of making a public statement.
It is one thing to subpoena government officials for information as part of an investigation. It is another to say that those very entities are under investigation.
So this is a revelation for us. There have been public reports from time to time that there was a secret subset people in the majority who were conducting their own investigation. I guess this is what that was referring to. But we have now learned the rather momentous fact that I guess the FBI is under investigation by this committee and so is the Department of Justice.
You know, again, I think what we are seeing here is the result of having a President of the United States who does not respect the institutions of our government or a system with checks and balances. And for that, he has himself to answer. But if we become complicit in it, then we will have to answer.
And it is hard for me to escape the conclusion that this is anything but doing the bidding of the White House. We are accusing the FBI and the Department of Justice here of wrongdoing without giving them any opportunity to be heard.
We are revealing classified information without any opportunity to hear from
UNCLASSIFIED
