“You’ve seen (Republicans) coalesce around this one because it does seem unjust, and there does seem to be a long history of loss of credibility at the Department of Justice at the hands of the Democrats, and I think people are rightfully frustrated about that,” Crenshaw said.
Crenshaw suggested Sunday that Trump’s role as a former president and potential future presidential candidate should have been considered before the search was signed off on.
“When you’re going after an ex-president who may run again … this is automatically political,” he said. “You cannot separate the legal aspects of this from the political aspects of it. You can’t. And it doesn’t seem to me like they’ve acted responsibly as a result.”
Damage assessment
“I assume that is being undertaken, and I have every expectation that it will be shared with us. So I look forward to that,” he told Tapper.
Schiff and House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney had made the request to Avril Haines, director of National Intelligence, according to a letter dated August 13 that was obtained by CNN.
“I hope it meant what it sounded like it meant. We have been in discussion with the vice president’s counsel for some time. So he knows of our interest in having him come before us,” Schiff said. “And I am confident that if he is truly willing, that there was a way to work out any executive privilege or separation of powers issues. There is, of course, nothing precluding the vice president should he decide to come before Congress, and I would hope given the severity of the issues we’re addressing here and attack on our capital, and attack on our very democracy, that he would be willing to come in.”
But a person with knowledge of Pence’s thinking cautioned against reading too much into his remarks, noting that the former vice president would have serious constitutional issues about appearing before the January 6 panel.
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.