Schiff: ‘Pathetic, Not Surprising’ the Degree Pence ‘Will Mimic’ Anything Trump Says

During Sunday’s broadcast of “Kasie DC” on MSNBC, House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacted to clips of Vice President Mike Pence seemingly changing his tune on former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn after the Department of Justice dropped charges against him after evidence came out showing that FBI agents attempted to entrap Flynn into lying to them.

MSNBC aired a clip of Pence initially saying Flynn lied and agreeing with Trump’s decision to fire him. The next clip showed Pence calling Flynn “an American patriot” and decrying the “prosecutorial abuse” seen by the Justice Department in his case.

Schiff criticized Pence, calling his differing remarks “pathetic” but “not surprising.” He went on to excoriate the vice president for echoing Trump’s “attempt to rewrite history” in the Russia saga.

“You know, it’s pathetic, not surprising, but pathetic — the degree to which the vice president will mimic anything the president says. Apparently, it’s not the vice president’s view that a national security advisor that lies to him about contacts he’s having with the Russians — well, that’s perfectly fine. He’d happy to have him around. Let’s not forget what the lies were about: The Russians interfered in our election in 2016 to help elect Donald Trump. And shortly thereafter, Barack Obama imposed sanctions on the Russians for interfering in our democracy. And then, Mike Flynn has a conversation with the Russians and reportedly told the Russians, don’t react to these sanctions, the implication being, we’re going to make this problem go away. After all, as we know, the Russians helped elect Donald Trump, and this is what he lied about. He lied about those conversations with the Russians that were meant to undermine the sanctions imposed on their interference in our democracy.”

He continued, “Bill Barr says, you know, those lies just don’t matter. That’s breathtaking. Now, they couldn’t say that he didn’t lie because he pled guilty repeatedly. He also said in his plea that these were material lies. And for now, Bill Barr to do the president’s bidding, for Mike Pence to echo the president’s attempt to rewrite history — it’s a full-scale assault on the rule of law and so discouraging.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent