MSNBC contributor and Daily Beast editor Sam Stein discusses new reporting from the New York Times which shows that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff lied to him about never having spoken to the Ukraine whistleblower during an appearance on "Morning Joe" on September 17 (below). Stein admitted Wednesday on "Morning Joe" (above) that Schiff.





Schiff did appear to lie here in previously saying that his office had not spoken directly with the whistleblower. But if you care more about this stuff than the actual substance of the whistleblower complaint than you’re being a hack. — Sam Stein (@samstein) October 2, 2019





"We talked for a couple of minutes last night and he expressed regret for not having been more clear in his wording," Stein said Wednesday. "He said at the time, obviously, we now know the whistleblower had approached his staff, but there wasn't 100% certainty if the whistleblower that had approached his staff was the same one who was behind the complaint. There was a suspicion it was, but it wasn't 100% certainty."



"He also was explaining that he was trying to compel the whistleblower to come to testify before the committee," Stein said, defending Schiff. "But again, he expressed regret for what he said in the initial interview with 'Morning Joe' and said he should have been much more clear about it."



"I must say, this puts him in some trouble. He clearly wasn't being forthright with us a couple of weeks ago, and he should have been," Stein said.



Schiff, September 17, 2019 on MSNBC's "Morning Joe":







"We have not spoken directly with the whistleblower," the House Intelligence Committee Chairman said on September 17, despite the fact that a member of his staff had spoken to the whistleblower. "We would like to, but I’m sure the whistleblower has concerns that he has not been advised as the law requires by the inspector general or the director of national intelligence just as to how he is to communicate with Congress."