Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade downplayed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and cast doubt on the assertion by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) that President Donald Trump's prior business decisions would influence his decisions as president. Along the way, Kilmeade raised some familiar Fox News specters, namely the Benghazi and Whitewater investigations.
“Since when?” Kilmeade asked of Schiff's intent to look into Trump's business career to find possible Russian influence on his decisions as President. He continued:
“This is not Benghazi or Whitewater. Those are incidents that they wanted to investigate. They’re having just a wide swath look at a 50-year business career. How is that acceptable?”
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Contributor Dan Bongino responded:
"Well, it’s acceptable to Adam Schiff because he is the sleaziest member of Congress. He’s a discredited, third-rate conspiracy theorist who has absolutely zero credibility, and the difference between the investigations under President Obama is Benghazi had evidence. There were four body bags. The IRS actually admitted to targeting citizens. The targeting of [former Fox News correspondent] James Rosen and others actually happened, we have the legal documents. Adam Schiff is inventing crimes. He has no evidence of collusion.”
"Not acceptable," Kilmeade replied.
The Russia probe, despite regular attacks against its legitimacy, has secured 37 indictments or guilty pleas that we presently know of. That's a marked difference from the Benghazi and Whitewater controversies, neither of which ended with indictments against Bill or Hillary Clinton.
Many seemed in agreement that the Russia investigation has stark differences from Whitewater and Benghazi.
Kilmeade and the Friends crew also attacked Schiff last week, suggesting that the president should "run a private investigation" into the personal lives of Congressional Democrats.
"Why not investigate Adam Schiff?" Kilmeade asked at the time. "Why not investigate Maxine Waters? Why not investigate them?"
Schiff had announced his committee would expand its probe into Trump and potential foreign influence.
Shortly afterward, the president attacked him on Twitter, referring to him as a "political hack" and accusing him of "presidential harassment."
Schiff did not appear bothered by the president's outbursts when speaking to NBC News.
“I can understand why the idea of oversight terrifies him,” he said. “We need to do our job, he needs to do his. And a big part of our job is making sure we root out any corruption or malfeasance.”
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