CNN labels Adam Schiff a Republican during rare clash on Russia collusion: 'That turned out not to be true'

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Rep. Adam Schiff labeled as Republican in CNN chyron

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff was mistakenly labeled a Republican while appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning to discuss his House committee removal.

CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash mistakenly labeled Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as a Republican in a chyron during an interview Sunday morning.

Schiff appeared with his fellow Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., to discuss House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to remove Schiff and Swalwell from their positions on the House Intelligence Committee as well as efforts to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

During their joint interview, host Dana Bash questioned Schiff on McCarthy’s allegations against him about pushing the Russia collusion conspiracy theory despite a lack of evidence to support it. 

"You said that there was direct evidence of the fact that Donald Trump colluded with Russia back in 2016. Special Counsel Robert Mueller said in his report, ‘the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government,’" she read. "Republicans argue that’s proof that you used your position on the intelligence community to potentially mislead Americans. Which is why you should not be on the committee."

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff was mistakenly labeled a Republican by a CNN chyron on Sunday. (CNN)

"Let me set the record straight. This is only one of a shifting series of rationalizations and pretexts that McCarthy is using," Schiff said.

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As Bash pushed back against Schiff, the chyron beneath Schiff placed an "R" before his title of "Former Chairman, Intelligence Committee."

"Let me give you another. He says that this is part of a pattern, ahead of the first Trump impeachment, you said the committee had not spoken to a whistle-blower. In fact, that turned out not to be true. The Washington Post said so in their fact check," Bash replied.

"The Washington Post identified that, yes, before the person became a whistleblower, they sought advice from the committee. When I was asked the question, I thought they were referring to whether or not we had brought the whistleblower in. I should have been more clear in my answer," Schiff conceded.

He continued, "But let’s be clear about what’s really going on here. McCarthy has said that Adam Schiff prosecuted the case against Trump and the Ukraine impeachment was a hoax. He’s given 15 explanations. The only real explanation is he wants Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vote. He needs Paul Gosar’s vote. He wants to retaliate for their removal from the committee. And apparently, he believes I was very effective in exposing his misconduct, Donald Trump’s misconduct, and that’s what they’re trying to stop." 

 U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) (C), joined by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), speaks at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"So, you know, I think that [McCarthy] benefits from having these smears repeated and that’s part of what he gains from it, but this is a pretext and nothing more," he said.

"Yeah," Bash agreed, "Which is why this is a chance for you to explain and to give your side of that as opposed to just simply repeating it."

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CNN's error was noticed by some on social media.

"Adam Schiff pressed by Dana Bash over his lies for pretty much the first time in countless CNN appearances over the past 7 years. As if on cue, chyron writer makes him a Republican," Fourth Watch editor Steve Krakauer noted.

In a later airing of the segment, the chyron was corrected to accurately label Schiff as a Democrat. 

Schiff’s appearance on CNN saw other backlash from social media users him calling out for continuing to push his claims about Russian collusion.

Adam Schiff frequently accused Donald Trump of colluding with Russians to win the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images  |    Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Author Max Abrahms tweeted, "Watch Adam Schiff squirm when confronted with his disinformation."

"He lied," National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker wrote.

"Schiff was put in charge of the first impeachment because of how easily and readily he could tell useful lies that the media would believe," Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney commented.

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Radio host Andrew Wilkow tweeted about how the media speaks t Democrats and Republicans differently, "To a #democrat ‘turned out not to be true.’ To a #republican ‘you lied.’"