GOP lawmakers troll Schiff over collusion allegations

Two GOP lawmakers took aim at Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Thursday in a video mocking the House Intelligence Committee chairman over his claims about the Russia investigation.

In a video posted by Rep. Mark Green, the congressman and fellow Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett pretended to unveil an exclusive copy of the “Schiff report,” or the evidence that Schiff has asserted exists to prove collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

“I got the Schiff report!” Burchett, dressed in a brown overcoat, tells a grinning Green in the video before handing over a manilla envelope marked as such.{mosads}

“Holy cow, he’s got the Schiff report,” Green exclaims in response. “There’s gotta be proof of collusion, evidence in here, right?”

The two then open the envelope, revealing it to be empty.

BREAKING: @RepTimBurchett and I found the elusive Schiff Report that allegedly proves the president colluded with Russia! pic.twitter.com/cAvNniVWcV

— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 28, 2019

Republicans in Congress have recently turned their attention to knocking Schiff after the Intelligence Committee chairman maintained that evidence exists of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, despite the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller, who investigated the issue for nearly two years, did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that President Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, according to a summary of the special counsel’s report released by Attorney General William Barr on Sunday.

“There was a big difference between whether there was evidence of collusion — and I think that evidence is in plain sight — and whether you can establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a criminal conspiracy,” Schiff told CNN this week.

The chairman on Thursday aggressively pushed back on calls from GOP lawmakers and Trump for him to step down from his position atop the panel, defending his past comments about Russian election interference that his committee has also investigated.

“My colleagues may think it is OK the president’s son was offered dirt as part of an effort to help Trump,” Schiff said in his statement. “You might think it is OK. I don’t.”