Story highlights "The national security needs of the country have to come first," the California Democrat said

The US is "very poorly prepared" if the Russians interfere in the upcoming midterm elections

(CNN) The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee said that if President Donald Trump doesn't act on the threat Russia poses, he could be derelict in his duty to protect the United States.

Earlier Wednesday, former US ambassador to NATO and George W. Bush administration official Nicholas Burns had accused Trump of "dereliction of the basic duty to defend the country" for what he said was Trump's apparent disinterest in Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

CNN's Jake Tapper read the statement to Schiff, then said: "That seems rather strong. What do you think?"

"I would completely agree with that," the California Democrat said on "The Lead" Wednesday. "The national security needs of the country have to come first, they certainly have to come as a higher priority than whatever effect this would have on how he views the legitimacy or the size of his election victory."

The US is "very poorly prepared" if the Russians interfere in the upcoming midterm elections, he added.

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