The next is a transcript of an interview with Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California that aired Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We wish to go now to California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. He is the chairman of the Intelligence Committee and his e book "Midnight in Washington" is now out in paperback. Good morning to you, Chairman Schiff.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You might be sometimes instructed about covert operations, ongoing nationwide safety threats. Do you could have any sense at the moment whether or not the knowledge that Donald Trump had in his Florida residence posed any type of risk to nationwide safety?
REP. SCHIFF: Effectively, all I do know concerning the precise supplies is what was in that search warrant stock, however from that alone, you possibly can inform there was a severe threat to disclosure probably of sources and strategies, as a result of a few of these paperwork had been marked high secret, delicate compartmented data. That's among the many highest of designation by way of the- the extraordinarily grave injury to nationwide safety that may very well be finished if it had been disclosed. So, the truth that they had been in an unsecure place that's guarded with nothing greater than a padlock or no matter safety that they had at a resort is deeply alarming. And I've requested for, together with Chairman Maloney, a injury evaluation by the intelligence group and a briefing to Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Will you get one? Have you ever heard from the Director of Nationwide Intelligence?
REP. SCHIFF: I've not heard again but. However I am assured we are going to get one and I am assured the intelligence group will do a injury evaluation that's, I feel, pretty routine when there was the potential threat of disclosure of nationwide safety data or labeled data. What's, to me, most annoying right here is the diploma to which at the very least from the general public reporting, it attempted- you understand, it seems to be willful, on the President's half, the- the- the conserving of those paperwork after the federal government was requesting them again. And that's- provides one other layer of concern.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, if there have been really supplies of this classification degree, and it has been publicly reported elsewhere, that there have been supplies associated to nuclear applications, for instance, if there was that delicate degree of data being held, why did Justice Division officers wait 18 months after the tip of the Trump presidency? What modified that made this rapid?
REP. SCHIFF: I do not know. But when the Trump individuals represented that they offered all of the labeled or nationwide safety data and did not, that is a major problem. I can let you know anybody within the intelligence group that had paperwork like that marked high secret SCI, of their residence after authorities went to them, you understand, they might be below severe investigation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You understand, the President has broad declassification authority when he's in workplace, however sometimes a declassification is memorialized indirectly. Are you able to search out the reply to the query of whether or not there really is report of whether or not Donald Trump declassified that? That is his protection right here, that something he had, he had already declassified.
REP. SCHIFF: Sure, we must always decide, you understand, whether or not there was any effort throughout the presidency to undergo the method of declassification. I've seen no proof of that, nor have they introduced any proof of that. The thought, to start with, a former president has no declassification authority. And the concept that 18 months after the actual fact Donald Trump- Trump might merely announce, effectively, I am you understand, retroactively declassifying or no matter I took dwelling had the impact of declassifying them is absurd. However nonetheless, the statutes the Justice Division are asserting within the search warrant, do not even require that they nonetheless be labeled. If they might be damaging to nationwide safety, it is an issue. It is a main drawback. And eventually, I might like so as to add the response of a lot of my Republican colleagues and people across the former president to assault the FBI over this and endanger FBI brokers is simply one other damaging degree of irresponsibility.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, additionally, we realized this previous week that your colleague, Congressman Scott Perry, who leads the Freedom Caucus- the Justice Division seized his cellular phone as a part of their investigation into the makes an attempt to overturn the election leads to 2020 and that slate of faux electors. The committee seemed into his actions and the slate of faux electors. We heard throughout the public testimony about that, and a few conspiracy theories that he had been speaking to Mark Meadows, the Chief of Employees, about. Are these two components of these investigations overlapping right here?
REP. SCHIFF: Effectively, to the diploma that the Justice Division seems to be investigating the pretend elector plot, then sure, our investigations would very a lot be overlapping. What's to me most placing concerning the seizure of that telephone is so as to try this, in fact, they must make a exhibiting to a choose or grand jury about there being possible trigger that there was proof of a criminal offense on that telephone and the truth that it was a member of Congress's telephone, I feel, would make the Justice Division all of the extra sure, or have to be sure, that that they had the possible trigger. And that additionally suggests the Division thinks that this pretend elector plot was a violation of legislation, which I feel it definitely was. So, I feel it's extremely vital. All these respects.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, and just- that's its personal federal investigation there. On one other matter, I wish to ask you, we're arising on this one-year anniversary of the U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Taliban takeover of that nation. You stated on the time of the withdrawal, that you'd have preferred the navy to remain on so long as essential to get People out and fulfill our obligation to our allies. You had pledged vigorous oversight. We have not seen the White Home or State Division after-action reviews on this. The nation is simply in utter devastation below Taliban rule. Did it actually should be this unhealthy?
REP. SCHIFF: Effectively, I definitely do not assume the withdrawal needed to go because it did, and the lack of American lives throughout the withdrawal, and the diploma to which it took months and months and we proceed to attempt to assist individuals escape from Afghanistan, I feel might have been dealt with in another way. However I do assume that we- we've got demonstrated, the administration has demonstrated with the killing of Zawahiri, the quantity two in Al-Qaeda below Bin Laden, that it retains the potential, a lot because it stated it will a yr later to go after those who threaten the nation
wherever they could be, on this case, the guts of Kabul. I feel, you understand, the killing of Zawahiri, exhibits each the hazard and likewise our capability. The hazard in that I feel clearly excessive components of the Taliban authorities needed to know that he was there and had been giving him protected harbor on the identical time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Is Al-Qaeda an ongoing risk?
REP. SCHIFF: Al Qaeda is an ongoing risk. I feel, although, that the risk from al Qaeda might be larger outdoors Afghanistan than it's in Afghanistan.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Chairman Schiff, thanks on your time this morning. We'll be again in a second.