Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) appeared to take a page from Congressman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) playbook when he repeatedly told CNN anchor Dana Bash that he had “evidence” that a number of Republicans begged former President Donald Trump to pardon their January 6th activities.
Raskin made an appearance Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the ongoing public January 6th Committee hearings, which began last Thursday and will carry into the coming week. Bash made a note of the claim that Republicans had asked Trump for pardons, and pressed Raskin on it several times to no avail.
WATCH:
Jamie Raskin takes a page from Adam Schiff's playbook — insists there is "evidence" Republicans begged Trump for pardons over #January6th but won't reveal what it is. pic.twitter.com/bEqtT3F7C6
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) June 13, 2022
“I want to ask you about pardons,” Bash began. “You revealed this week that multiple Republican members of Congress sought pardons from President Trump after the insurrection. How many of your colleagues in Congress did that? And what evidence do you have? Because you know that congressman Scott Perry is denying it.”
Raskin appeared to evade Bash’s questions — namely how many Republicans he was accusing and what kind of evidence he had against them. Instead, he argued that if Republicans had done such a thing, it was an indicator that they were guilty of a crime and knew that.
“The seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness you may be in trouble,” he said. “That’s what’s so shocking about this. It’s not just one.”
“You have evidence that this happened?” Bash asked again.
“It is multiple members of Congress, as the vice chair said at our opening period,” Raskin said, still not giving a firm number and saying only that the truth would come out in time. “And all in due course. The details will surface.”
“So, yes, there’s evidence?” Bash tried a third time.
“Everything we’re doing is documented by evidence,” Raskin insisted. “Unlike the big lie, which is based on nonsense, as former Attorney General Barr said. Everything that we’re doing is based on facts and this is a bipartisan investigation, which is determined to ferret out all the facts of what happened.”
The Washington Examiner’s Byron York made it clear that he was not impressed with Raskin’s answers. “I’m not saying the J6 committee does not have evidence on this topic,” he tweeted. But to make a serious charge and then, when asked for proof, say, ‘all in due course, the details will surface’ — that is not a responsible way to operate.”
I'm not saying the J6 committee does not have evidence on this topic. But to make a serious charge and then, when asked for proof, say, 'all in due course, the details will surface' — that is not a responsible way to operate. From CNN: pic.twitter.com/Q2jtyd2KEQ
— Byron York (@ByronYork) June 12, 2022
“It’s the Adam Schiff model. Didn’t hurt him at all when everything he’d said about Russian collusion was exposed as a lie, why should these Democrats (one of which is Schiff) care?” Derek Hunter added.
Schiff repeatedly insisted that he had evidence of Russian collusion within the Trump campaign — but was never able to reveal any of it publicly.
Story cited here.
