WATCH: Sen. Schiff Debunks Trump’s Claim that Iran War is Over, Slams Administration’s Weaponization of the U.S. Justice System on NBC’s Meet the Press

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker to debunk President Trump’s false claim that his Iran War is consistent with the War Powers Act and not a violation of the Constitution, while laying out the price the American people have paid for the war at the gas pump and in the lives of U.S. service members. Schiff also slammed the Trump administration’s continued weaponization of the Justice Department under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, deriding the “seashells case” brought against former FBI Director James Comey as evidence of Blanche’s attempts to win Trump’s favor and nomination. In addition, the Senator said that Democrats need to fight fire with fire on redistricting while reiterating his commitment to seeing Democrats pass a national ban on gerrymandering in the wake a Supreme Court decision this week that gutted the Voting Rights Act and resulted in calls by Republican state legislatures to embark on a new round of partisan redistricting. View the full interview here. Key Excerpts: On the unconstitutional Iran War and Trump’s claim it is over for purposes of the War Powers Act: […] This war was unlawful and unconstitutional from the start. We didn’t have to wait 60 days to reach that conclusion, because under the Constitution, only Congress can initiate a war or authorize a war or declare war. The only exceptions are if the United States is attacked or there’s an imminent threat of attack, then the president can take action in the near term. That’s when the 60-day clock begins if there’s a legitimate reason to begin the war at the start. And there wasn’t here. This is a war of choice, which has now brought a terrible cost in 13 service members who lost their lives, scores of others injured, many seriously injured. Highest gas prices now in years. It’s pushed inflation up to a high in several years. And of course, the opportunity cost is that we can’t invest in hospitals and health care and things that would improve the quality of life for Americans. On Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department: […] I was a prosecutor for almost six years. I never saw such a weak case. And I think Kristen in the future in the Department of Justice, if anyone ever suggests bringing a case this weak, there will be a new name for it. They will be called seashells cases. Are you telling me we should bring another seashells case? I think this case is likely to be thrown out even before it goes to a jury. It will absolutely be thrown out by the jury. But the fact that we’re spending time on a seashells case, and the top leadership of the Justice Department is so focused on it means they’re not focused on violent crime cases. They’re not focused on rape cases and child trafficking, their focus no, on James Comey and seashells. And it’s the American public that suffers. On the priorities of the Blanche Justice Department: […] We’re seeing indictments, as we saw in New York, dismissed against a corrupt mayor or mayor facing corruption cases or allegations because he’s willing to help the president on an unrelated issue, like immigration. I’m talking about the former mayor of New York here. These kinds of abuses mean that the department isn’t going after oil companies that are price gouging. It’s not going after companies that are abusing consumers. It’s not protecting us from monopolistic conduct in the market. It is instead focused on the president’s agenda of retribution, and that’s a terrible use of resources and a terrible precedent to set. ###