ADVERTISEMENT

Schiff: Nunes Memo Means People Will Be Less Likely to Report Their Fertilizer Bomber Neighbors to the Feds

February 5, 2018

Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) said Sunday that a consequence of the controversial Devin Nunes memo alleging Justice Department surveillance abuses would be people would be more hesitant to report their neighbors to the FBI for being potential fertilizer bombers.

ABC host George Stephanopoulos asked Schiff on Sunday about the Democratic concern that the GOP intelligence memo is meant to undermine Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and whether that strategy was working.

"I don't think it's working, in the sense that people have a lot of confidence in Bob Mueller," Schiff said. "But it is impeaching the FBI, and the problem with this, and this is, I think, at the heart of the department's concern, is if you have a neighbor who's buying fertilizer, lots of fertilizer, but has no yard, and you have concerns about it, and you want to call the FBI, you're now going to wonder, is that FBI going to hold my name in confidence or this information in confidence?"

"What if this becomes politicized?" Schiff added. "Sources are going to dry up because of what the Republicans on this committee are doing now. There is a compact between our committee and the intelligence community."

Schiff said the intelligence community would share less with his committee now as a result.