House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Wednesday night called on Republicans working in the Trump administration to resign after President Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election in November.
During an interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Schiff asserted that there was “no question” Trump “means exactly what he said, and people fail to take that seriously at our national peril.”
“This is a moment that I would say to any Republican of good conscience working in the administration: It is time for you to resign. It is time for you to resign,” the Democrat said.
“If you have been debating about whether you continue to serve the country by serving this president, you can’t,” he continued. “It is time to resign.”
Schiff also called on former Trump administration officials to speak out.
“You cannot maintain your silence any longer,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump had declined to say during a press briefing whether he would accept the election results if his Democratic rival Joe Biden defeated him on November 3.
“We’re going to have to see what happens,” the President told reporters before once again peddling debunked claims that mail-in ballots cause election fraud.
“Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation,” Trump said. “The ballots are out of control.”
The startling comment further escalated Trump’s long-running effort to undermine the legitimacy of the election should he lose the race as polls continually show Biden in the lead.
Watch Schiff below:
Schiff calls on "any Republican of good conscience" working in the Trump administration to resign. pic.twitter.com/h0LoJkpz53
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 24, 2020
