Congressman Biggs Calls for Recusal of Adam Schiff from Unauthorized Impeachment Inquiry

GILBERT, ARIZONA – This afternoon, Congressman Andy Biggs and several colleagues from the House Freedom Caucus sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, requesting the immediate recusal of Chairman Adam Schiff as the head of the unauthorized impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Congressman Biggs released the following statement:

"For over two years, Adam Schiff misled the American people with his numerous attempts to manufacture evidence of collusion between Donald Trump and the Russian government. Once that fairytale evaporated, Mr. Schiff quickly moved on to his next hoax: a non-existent quid pro quo between President Trump and the President of Ukraine. This time, just like the Russian hoax, Mr. Schiff has been caught manipulating facts leading to baseless accusations against the President. Mr. Schiff is hardly an unbiased arbiter of this unauthorized impeachment process, and we call for his immediate recusal."

Read the text of the letter below:

October 9, 2019

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, D.C.20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

We request that you ask for the immediate recusal of Chairman Schiff as the head of this unauthorized impeachment inquiry. His interactions with the whistleblower make him a potential fact witness and his actions thus far have demonstrated that he is not qualified for this serious responsibility.

Prior to the filing of the complaint that led to the opening of this unauthorized impeachment inquiry, Chairman Schiff's committee staff communicated with the whistleblower about the content of his complaint. According to reports, information from the whistleblower was then communicated to Chairman Schiff. The public knows little else about Chairman Schiff's dealings with the whistleblower because Chairman Schiff has failed to disclose the interaction. When asked directly whether the committee had any contact with the whistleblower, Chairman Schiff lied and said no. In light of this, Chairman Schiff must be required to answer questions about his interactions with the whistleblower under oath, as he has proven that he cannot be trusted to be honest otherwise.

In 2017, you and your colleagues, including Chairman Schiff, demanded the recusal of then-Chairman Nunes from the Russia investigation because he allegedly met privately with a source to review sensitive information, without disclosing the meeting or the information to the committee. In keeping with past precedent, principles of fairness demand that you request the recusal of Chairman Schiff under these similar circumstances.

We urge you to give this matter your immediate attention. The integrity of this institution demands it.

Sincerely,

Andy Biggs
Member of Congress

Jody Hice
Member of Congress

Mark Meadows
Member of Congress

Warren Davidson
Member of Congress

Ken Buck
Member of Congress

Jeff Duncan
Member of Congress

Denver Lee Riggleman III
Member of Congress

Alex Mooney
Member of Congress

Bill Posey
Member of Congress

David Schweikert
Member of Congress

Louie Gohmert
Member of Congress

Russ Fulcher
Member of Congress