President Donald Trump "basically saying" he accepts Russian President Vladimir Putin at his word on election interference is "remarkable and remarkably bad," Rep. Adam Schiff said Monday.
"Here you have the president of the United States meeting with a foreign adversary basically saying, 'I not only accept Mr. Putin at his word, but it's insulting to Mr. Putin to raise these things,'" the California Democrat told MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" program.
While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump called former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, along with former FBI Director James Comey "political hacks."
All three have said they believe Russia interfered with the election.
"It is really unthinkable, and while this does some more damage to the intelligence community, it mostly damages the president himself," Schiff said. "It impeaches his own credibility. People know director Clapper, director Brannan, and have enormous confidence and faith in them within the intelligence community and out. We now have a situation where the president of the United States says 'Well, I raised the Russian meddling issue during the meeting,' and they're saying, "No, he didn't.'"
The White House also is saying that Trump raised the matter of human rights abuses with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, but officials from there said that also did not happen.
"Who would imagine a situation, Andrea, where people around the world our allies and foes alike don't know whether they can believe the word of the president of the United States?" he told show anchor Andrea Mitchell. "This is what he's brought on himself."