Trump Warns Adam Schiff Will Be ‘Compelled to Testify’ If He Goes Forward With Impeachment

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President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted a warning, and unspecified poll results, to suggest that the consequences of moving forward with impeachment could end up hurting Democrats more than his own administration.

It is not the first time that Republicans have argued the fallout from impeachment would impact Democrats worse than the GOP, but Trump made reference to one consequence in particular: that intel committee chair Adam Schiff might have to testify before the Senate should things proceed.

“Adam Schiff will be compelled to testify should the Democrats decide, despite the fact that my presidential conversations were totally appropriate (perfect), to go forward with the Impeachment Hoax,” Trump wrote Saturday morning, adding “Polls have now turned very strongly against Impeachment!”

Adam Schiff will be compelled to testify should the Democrats decide, despite the fact that my presidential conversations were totally appropriate (perfect), to go forward with the Impeachment Hoax. Polls have now turned very strongly against Impeachment!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2019

Republicans have been pushing for a number of people to be compelled to testify. Notably, the whistleblower, and of course Hunter Biden. With Schiff, Republicans assert that he was in contact with – or acting in concert with – that Ukraine whistleblower.

And earlier this month, ranking Republican on the committee Rep. Devin Nunes wrote a letter to Schiff demanding he testify prior to House hearings, based on that alleged contact and on the grounds that Schiff, Nunes said, was letting his “desire to see the duly-elected president removed from office” outweigh his “responsibility to running a functioning intelligence oversight committee.”

Obviously that testimony never occurred.

On Friday, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace warned that the Republicans’ efforts to compel such testimony might put their own Reps. in the same boat — that is, being compelled to testify.

So politicians questioning politicians about their interactions with other politicians. That’s a pretty good threat — to the American viewing public, at least.