Schiff: Evidence of collusion between Trump campaign, Russia ‘pretty compelling’

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is pushing back against Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr’s (R-N.C.) assertion that the Senate panel has not found evidence of collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia. 

Schiff said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that there is “pretty compelling evidence” of collusion during the 2016 election. 

“You can see evidence in plain sight on the issue of collusion, pretty compelling evidence. Now, there’s a difference between seeing evidence of collusion and being able to prove a criminal conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt,” Schiff said.

Democrat @RepAdamSchiff : “You can see evidence in plain sight on the issue of collusion, pretty compelling evidence. Now, there’s a difference between seeing evidence of collusion and being able to prove a criminal conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/xOocIO31yD

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 17, 2019

{mosads}Last week, Burr said that his committee doesn’t “have anything that would suggest there was collusion by the Trump campaign and Russia.”

The chairman’s remark sparked pushback from Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), who said he disagreed “factually” with Burr.

Schiff, who is leading the House Intelligence Committee’s own investigation, pointed on Sunday to the Trump Tower meeting between senior Trump campaign officials and prominent Russians.

Schiff also noted former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition as well as communications between former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos and Russian-linked officials during the campaign. 

“All of this is evidence of collusion,” Schiff said. “And you either have to look the other way to say it isn’t, or you have to have a different word for it, because it is a corrupt dealing with a foreign adversary during a campaign.”