Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee probing Russian manipulation of the 2016 presidential election, on Wednesday claimed that the panel has “non-public” information he characterized as “evidence” of collusion and obstruction involving the Trump campaign.

After reciting a laundry list of circumstantial evidence already known, the California Democrat told reporters, “There is certainly an abundance of non-public info that we have gathered in the investigation and I think that some of that non-public evidence is evidence on the issue of collusion. Some of that non-public evidence is evidence on the issue of obstruction.”

.@RepAdamSchiff on #Russia investigation: "Yes, there is non-public information that I think is relevant on these issues. That if I were giving you a complete picture I would include."



Watch full @csmonitor breakfast here: https://t.co/gORSE4pjnb pic.twitter.com/jZ1wo07Jbx — CSPAN (@cspan) February 14, 2018



At a media breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, he also raised the issue of money laundering in the case, and said the Republican-controlled panel hasn’t delved into that issue.

“We have not been able to adequately follow the money,” said Schiff, who suggested Russians use money to ensnare targets.

Schiff is fighting Republicans to release the Democratic response to memo drafted by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and his Republican colleagues and staffers alleging surveillance abuses committed against the Trump campaign.

He said that he expects to work out a deal “soon” with the FBI which wants make as many as 47 redactions.

During the media roundtable, Schiff took a thoughtful approach on the overall investigation into the 2016 election and suggested that while “conspiracy” could be an eventual charge, that getting there is hard.

He cited the Watergate conspiracy as an example and said that without Oval Office recordings, making impeachment stick never would have happened.

But, he said, “the bar shouldn’t just be what is a violation of law.” He said that the public should be made aware of anything “unpatriotic, immoral.”

He added, “In my mind the bar shouldn’t be set so low that everything is fine unless you can go to jail for it. It’s not fine.”

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com