Rep. Adam Schiff has become a chief White House antagonist in the past year as Democrats’ top Russia investigator in the House. | Cliff Owen/AP Photo Schiff, White House clash over Hope Hicks testimony in Russia probe

The House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat is accusing the White House of trying to pull the plug on an appearance by White House communications director Hope Hicks — even as committee Republicans and the White House say he's out of line.

After the abrupt cancellation of an interview with Hicks, a longtime aide to President Donald Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff issued a statement Thursday evening, accusing the White House of trying to keep her from talking to the committee.


“The Administration canceled entirely an interview scheduled for Friday with another key witness in our investigation,” Schiff said of Hicks in a statement. “If that interview has been rescheduled, the date has not yet been shared with the Minority.”

His statement was met with a sharp rebuttal from the White House — an official said he was "not telling the truth" — and committee Republicans affirmed that it was them, not the administration, who decided to reschedule Hicks’ appearance.

Republican committee sources said the reason they pushed to delay Hicks’ testimony was because of issues that emerged earlier in the week in an interview with former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who refused to answer many of the committee’s questions over what he said were issues related to executive privilege.

“In light of the issues concerning executive privilege that emerged during Mr. Bannon's interview, tomorrow's interview with Hope Hicks has been POSTPONED,” read an email sent to Intelligence Committee members by the panel’s chief clerk.

Schiff has become a chief White House antagonist in the past year as Democrats’ top Russia investigator in the House. He’s been attacked by the Republican National Committee, which has called him out for frequent television appearances, and has even drawn the personal ire of Trump.

“Sleazy Adam Schiff, the totally biased Congressman looking into ‘Russia,’ spends all of his time on television pushing the Dem loss excuse!” Trump tweeted in July.

His comments on Hicks, though, may have struck a nerve because of her proximity to Trump. Hicks has been a longtime Trump confidante who has been part of his inner circle in the Trump Organization, on the campaign trail and in the White House.

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Schiff isn't backing down from his suggestion that the White House is behind the abrupt schedule change though.

"I find it very hard to believe that it’s driven by the committee. Certainly in the minority we were ready, willing and able to hear her testimony," he said. “The majority never expressed any reservation about the timing of the witness coming before our committee. If the White House asked the majority to reschedule — and that’s the way they wished to frame it — that’s up to them.”

Schiff said he believes it’s no accident that the White House instructed Bannon to refuse to answer certain questions, that former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski declined to fully answer a question about his conversations with the president ahead of his own testimony this week and that Hicks’ testimony was canceled.

“You can’t tell me that that’s a coincidence that they also pulled our final witness this week,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), said the committee is still working to schedule a new time for Hicks’ testimony.

“We look forward to having her before the committee at the appropriate time,” she said.