Rep. Meadows accuses Democrats of 'intentionally misleading' the American people in impeachment trial
Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a member of President Trump's impeachment team, argues the Democrats' case is 'built on a corrupt foundation.'
Lead House manager in the Senate impeachment trial against President Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., perpetrated the real "cover-up" by coordinating with the whistleblower, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Thursday.
Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with hosts Sandra Smith and Ed Henry, Meadows said the trial was "built on a corrupt foundation."
"This is just a repeat of things that we heard in the House," said Meadows.
On day two of the impeachment trial, Schiff drew criticism for making the head-turning argument that Trump must be removed from office by the Senate – rather than by voters in the 2020 election – because it is impossible to be sure the 2020 election won't be compromised.
"The president's misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won," Schiff remarked.
Additionally, the House Intelligence Committee Chairman – who had previously claimed to have evidence that the Trump campaign secretly colluded with Russia – outlined what the Democrats contended was the president's "corrupt scheme" to abuse his power and obstruct Congress' investigation.
He called on senators not to be "cynical" about politics, but to draw on the intent of the nation's Founding Fathers who provided the remedy of impeachment.
"Over the coming days, we will present to you – and to the American people – the extensive evidence collected during the House’s impeachment inquiry into the president's abuse of power," Schiff argued. "You will hear their testimony at the same time as the American people. That is, if you will allow it."
"The House impeachment managers are actually not only making false statements, but they're intentionally misleading the American people," Meadows told Henry and Smith.
"How do we know that?" Meadows asked. "Because they are cherry-picking certain parts of testimony and it's all built on their narrative to try to impune the facts of the case."
In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., holds redacted documents as he speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)
Meadows said that the American people need to understand that "everything that the House impeachment managers are going to say" on the third day of the trial is going to be "based on second and thirdhand knowledge" and that any firsthand witnesses have already exonerated the president.
"So, we are going to continue to hear allegations of [a] 'cover-up.' The only 'cover-up' that I've seen is actually Adam Schiff and his team's cover-up on their coordination with the whistleblower," he stated.
"This is like [the movie] 'Groundhog Day.' The only difference is Bill Murray's days kept getting better; Adam Schiff's are not getting any better," Meadows concluded.
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Democrats will reportedly narrow their focus on the president's alleged "abuse of power" in the Senate impeachment trial on Thursday.
The abuse of power charge is the first of two articles of impeachment against the president. That charge includes withholding of nearly $400 million in security aid for Ukraine, which Democrats argue was done to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
Fox News' Adam Shaw, Gregg Re, Chad Pergram, Marisa Schultz, Adam Shaw, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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