--- title: Comey Hearing: Read Adam Schiff Opening Statement Transcript description: The ranking Democrat on a House intelligence committee laid out the public evidence on Russian meddling in the 2016 election Monday. canonical: https://time.com/4706721/comey-hearing-adam-schiff-transcript/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-20T15:30:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:21:24.392Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read Rep. Adam Schiff's Opening Statement on Russian Meddling og:description: "If the Trump campaign aided or abetted the Russians, it would be a serious crime." og:url: https://time.com/4706721/comey-hearing-adam-schiff-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt340755f9aa9bfb92/6988bf0897cdffdfff6afdeb/gettyimages-655591406.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4901 og:image:height: 2757 og:image:alt: FBI Director Comey Testifies At Hearing On Alleged Russian Election Meddling og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Rep. Adam Schiff's Opening Statement on Russian Meddling twitter:description: "If the Trump campaign aided or abetted the Russians, it would be a serious crime." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt340755f9aa9bfb92/6988bf0897cdffdfff6afdeb/gettyimages-655591406.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read Rep. Adam Schiff's Opening Statement on Russian Meddling in the Election > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=36fd2bbe-0b1d-44c3-a7d6-973dfde4b15c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: FBI Director Says There's 'No Evidence' Obama Wiretapped President Trump [Watch (HLS stream): FBI Director Says There's 'No Evidence' Obama Wiretapped President Trump](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SlHcuyph.m3u8) (1:19)  _Published 2017-03-20. The Department of Justice and the FBI have "no evidence" to support President Trump's unfounded and widely-dismissed claim that Barack Obama wiretapped him, FBI Director James Comey said Monday._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 20, 2017 3:30 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 20, 2017 3:30 PM UTC The ranking Democrat on a House intelligence committee [laid out](http://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=220) the public evidence on Russian meddling in the 2016 election Monday. Speaking at a committee hearing involving FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, Rep. Adam Schiff [spelled out information](http://time.com/4706457/james-comey-donald-trump-fbi-congress-russia/) that has been made public [so far about Russian meddling](http://time.com/4706646/fbi-russia-james-comey-testimony/?xid=homepage) and possible ties to the Trump campaign. “If the Trump campaign, or anybody associated with it, aided or abetted the Russians, it would not only be a serious crime, it would also represent one of the most shocking betrayals of our democracy in history,” he said. Read Schiff’s full statement below: --- > “” --- ## Transcript Director Comey, was the president's statement that Obama had his wires tapped in Trump Tower a true statement? With respect to the president's tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets. And we have looked carefully inside the FBI The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The Department has no information that supports those tweets. Director Kome, can you answer the President's question. Would it be legal for President Obama to have ordered a wire tap of Donal Trump? BBB I'm not going to characterize a response to the tweets, themselves. I can tell you in general, as Admiral Rogers and I were just saying, there is a statutory framework in the United States under which courts grant permission for electronic surveillance, either in a criminal case or in a national security case, based on a showing of probable cause, carefully overseen It's a rigorous, rigorous process that involves all three branches of government. No individual in the United States can direct electronic surveillance of anyone. It has to go through an application process. Ask a judge, the judge can then make the order. So President Obama could not unilatery order a wire tap of anyone? No president could. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4706721/comey-hearing-adam-schiff-transcript/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4706721/comey-hearing-adam-schiff-transcript/"},"headline":"Read Rep. 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