Adam Schiff vents over Department of Justice not prosecuting former Trump officials

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Adam Schiff: 'Very puzzling ... grave disappointment' that DOJ won't prosecute Meadows, Scavino

Jan. 6 Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff vented on 'Face the Nation' over the Department of Justice's decision to not prosecute Mark Meadows or Dan Scavino for contempt of Congress.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., expressed frustration Sunday with the Department of Justice for announcing they wouldn't prosecute several former Trump officials for refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. 

On CBS News' "Face the Nation," Schiff described the DOJ’s refusal to prosecute Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino as "very puzzling." Schiff lamented how they should not be treated differently than the other individuals that the Department of Justice is prosecuting.  

"It is very puzzling, why these two witnesses would be treated differently than the two that the Justice Department is prosecuting. There is no absolute immunity. These witnesses have very relevant testimony to offer in terms of what went into the violence of January 6, the propagation of the big lie, and the idea that witnesses could simply fail to show up and when the statute requires the Justice Department to present those cases to the grand jury, and they don't, is deeply troubling," Schiff told CBS anchor Margret Brennan. "We hope to get more insight from the Justice Department, but, I think, a grave disappointment and could impede our work if other witnesses think they can likewise refuse to show up with impunity."

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Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in Manhattan on Oct. 18, 2021 in New York City. (James Devaney/GC Images)

Former Trump trade official Peter Navarro and former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon have been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House Jan. 6 committee.

Meadows and Scavino entered into negotiations with the Jan 6 Committee and participated to a lesser extent than the committee requested, despite Meadows turning over over 9,000 documents, whereas Navarro and Bannon rejected the committee’s request outright on the grounds of executive privilege. In a statement, Navarro described the Jan 6th committee as a "kangaroo committee" with "7 partisan Democrats" and "2 RINO Republicans." 

"Over a 5-year period, Congress has weaponized the investigatory powers of Congress in a way that is unconstitutional," Navarro said. "Congress has the right to investigate, but only for nonpunitive legislative purposes. What that Kangaroo committee is doing now is investigating for punitive purposes. They're essentially acting as judge, jury and executioner."

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff does a TV interview at the Capitol on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Schiff added that goal of the committee is to "present a narrative" of what happened Jan. 6 to the country.  

"Our goal is to present the narrative of what happened in this country, how close we came to losing our democracy. What led to that violent attack on the sixth. The American people, I think, know a great deal already," Schiff added. 

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During his interview, Schiff also criticized President Biden for planning to meet with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince. 

"I wouldn't go and shake his hand. This is someone who butchered an American resident, cut him up into pieces in the most terrible and premeditated way. Until Saudi Arabia makes a radical change in terms of its human rights, I wouldn't want anything to do with him," he said.