House Democrats are all wrestling with whether to proceed with impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump and after former special counsel Robert Mueller's congressional testimony, the question has gained new importance, House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said Thursday.
"I don't discuss the contents of our caucus meetings but, look, we have members who feel, you know, passionately about this issue," the California Democrat told CNN's "New Day." "I think we all do. We're all wrestling with it. I think those who are ready to pull the trigger feel their hand is even stronger after this hearing."
He added that he has "very little illusion of getting a conviction in the Senate" if the president is impeached, but he is worried about another jury: "the Amerian people."
Meanwhile, Mueller's testimony before the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees was a presentation of his report without it being filtered by Attorney General Bill Barr, "who misrepresented it," or Trump, who "certainly misrepresents it on a daily basis."
Instead, Mueller laid out how "unethical, unpatriotic, and criminal" the actions were of the Trump campaign when it would "willingly accept help" from Russia, said Shiff.
Mueller was a "reluctant witness," Schiff added, and that was understood all along.
There have been complaints about Mueller's performance but Schiff said he thinks the former FBI director "lived up to expectations, at least mine."
"It wasn't easy to get him to tell a narrative," said Schiff. "But what's more important than the style we saw of the witness is the substance, and the substance, I think, was just devastating."