Rep. Adam Schiff
Adam Bennett SchiffHouse Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for ‘serious case of amnesia’ after testimony Top intel Dem: Trump Jr. refused to answer questions about Trump Tower discussions with father Erik Prince says meeting with Russian banker unrelated to Trump campaign MORE (D-Calif.) on Sunday accused the White House of pressuring the Department of Justice (DOJ) into an investigation of the Clinton Foundation.
"If they are investigating Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonGrassley blasts Democrats over unwillingness to probe Clinton GOP lawmakers cite new allegations of political bias in FBI Top intel Dem: Trump Jr. refused to answer questions about Trump Tower discussions with father MORE, it doesn't take a genius, let alone a stable genius, to see why," Schiff told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s "State of the Union," referencing President Trump
Donald John TrumpHouse Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for ‘serious case of amnesia’ after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don’t want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE.
"It's not because there is some new evidence that has come to light. It's because they're being badgered by the White House to do it. You simply cannot explain it, I think, any other way," the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee added, calling it "deeply disturbing."
Schiff said the Trump administration has forced the DOJ to take several actions that are "not in isolation" of one another.
He pointed to the department's decision to release the anti-Trump text messages exchanged in 2016 between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his colleague Lisa Page, amid an investigation into Strzok's work on special counsel Robert Mueller
Robert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE's Russia probe.
"If you look at the decision by the Justice Department to release these private text messages during the pendency of an internal Department of Justice inspector general investigation, that's unprecedented. And that, similarly, is a nod to the White House," said Schiff, who regularly criticizes the Trump administration.
"And I think that these cracks that we're seeing in the independence of the Justice Department ought to concern every American," he continued.
"That ought to be far more important than any party concerns. But, right now, it certainly doesn't look that way,” Schiff added.
The Hill, citing law enforcement officials and a witness, reported last week that the DOJ has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of State.
Clinton went on to become the Democratic presidential nominee and lost to Trump in the 2016 election.