Elise Stefanik Defends the Secret Subpoeanas Issued by Donald Trump’s Department of Justice

Donald Trump may be out of office, but stories are still emerging about the things he did while in office. The New York Times recently revealed that Trump’s Department of Justice issued secret subpoenas to get information on Democratic congressmen Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell.

Condemnation came quickly for the former president and all those involved in the spying with many comparing his actions to those of Richard Nixon. On Tuesday, Elise Stefanik, the Chair of the House Republican Conference, says that Trump and the department did nothing wrong.

Stefanik told reporters:

“Having served on the House Intelligence Committee, we’ve seen illegal leaks from our colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee, and there have been numerous referrals to the Department of Justice. So I think it’s important that the Department of Justice determine if there were any illegal leaks, leaks by members of Congress, or their staff members.”

The New York Rep. continued, “Let’s also be perfectly clear here that Adam Schiff, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, released information regarding the ranking member, Devin Nunes, his phone calls, as well as [to] reporters. That is unethical. Frankly, I believe that’s illegal.”

Schiff’s spokesperson, Lauren French was quick to correct the record. She said in a statement, “Chairman Schiff never issued subpoenas for phone records for Members, despite many false assertions otherwise. As a member of our committee, Rep. Stefanik should know better.”

Yet again, Trump and Republicans have been caught in a situation where they don’t have an explanation for their actions. So it is no surprise to see Stefanik resort to whataboutism.