Adam Schiff, top intel Democrat, says Trump 'acts like he's compromised'

John Fritze | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee blasted President Donald Trump for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, saying the president “acts like he’s compromised.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was responding to Trump’s apparent acceptance during a news conference last week of Putin’s denial that Russia attempted influence the 2016 election.

Trump later attempted to clarify those remark amid a groundswell of bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.

“For whatever reason, this president acts like he's compromised,” Schiff told ABC’s This Week. “There is simply no other way to explain why he would side with this Kremlin, former KGB officer, rather than his own intelligence agencies.”

After this week, can any reasonable person still question whether, if Russia offered to help the Trump campaign (and it did), the campaign would accept that help? Or whether Trump’s request that the Russians hack Hillary’s emails (apparently acted upon) was serious? — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 20, 2018

Former Trump homeland security adviser Tom Bossert described the assertion as a “cheap shot” and dismissed the significance of the arrest of a 29-year-old Russian citizen named Maria Butina who prosecutors say was working to infiltrate American political organizations.

“It’s an easy cheap shot to say the president’s been compromised by the Russians,” Bossert told ABC. “I think the Russians elected a former KGB agent and he spends all of his time and their resources squandering it on penny ante spy tactics.”