WATCH: “I’m Not Giving ICE or Border Patrol Another Dime” – Sen. Schiff Dismantles Administration Response to Minnesota Shooting, Pledges to Oppose Additional DHS Funding on[...]

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker to react to the killing of another U.S. citizen at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, the lack of a real, independent investigation of the shooting by the administration blocking local authorities' involvement, and the ongoing abuse of power and force being exhibited by immigration enforcement agencies in Minnesota and across the country.

Schiff made clear that he will not support additional funding for DHS, ICE or CBP, the agencies responsible for the escalating chaos and the recent shootings, calling on Republicans to not force a government shutdown by controversially including more money for immigration enforcement in the funding bills later this week. He also reiterated demands for real congressional oversight to understand the corruption, fraud, and abuse being exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump White House after providing billions of dollars to ICE and CBP over the past year.

View the full interview here.

Key Excerpts:

On Deputy Attorney General Blanche's blame on local officials and law enforcement and the lack of a complete investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti:

[…] "For him to blame the cities and blame the states for flooding the streets of America with thousands of poorly trained agents who are shooting Americans in cold blood, in the street and through windshields, is despicable. What the American people have seen is horrifying. And I was really struck by a couple things of your interview with him. First, you asked him repeatedly, is there any evidence that you have seen or heard that Alex Pretti drew the weapon on agents or brandished the weapon? And he could not answer that question. And you know, if there was evidence of that, he would have said so. He then accused you of gaslighting the administration, which is also absurd. He would have you disbelieve anything you see."

[…] "I was a prosecutor for almost six years. There does need to be investigation of both of these killings and a lot more, but no one, no one, can have confidence that DHS will do that properly. When the head of that agency has called these victims "domestic terrorists" without knowing anything, when the White House is calling them domestic terrorists, who can believe an investigation led by people who have already reached their conclusion? Local officials, local law enforcement need to be involved in these investigations. It needs to be objective, and we simply can't accept an administration that says, "Don't believe your lying eyes."

On his position on the upcoming vote on Department of Homeland Security funding:

"I'm not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime, given how this agency, these agencies are operating. Democrats are not going to fund that. The government will shut down if Republicans insist that that it be joined with other government funding. It will be a Republican decision. They understand we're not going to go along with this, and we hope some of the Republicans in the Senate may see those scenes in the streets and be as repelled as we are and vote against that continuation of violence."

[…] "They will make the decision there in the majority if they want to shut down the government so they can perpetuate this violence. But I'm not going to be a part of it, and I think anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more Americans die in our cities as a result."

On the corruption and fraud in the DHS spending:

"They have thrown so much money at these agencies they don't know what to do with it, and there is no question that when we actually get a chance to do oversight again, which I hope will happen after this November, you are going to find all kinds of corruption in how that money is going out. I have no question, you will find sole source contracting going out to friends of people in the administration, and money wasted hand over fist. They talk a good game about cutting down on waste, fraud, and abuse. There is going to be enormous waste, fraud, and abuse in DHS, given how money is being spent without any kind of real oversight. So, I wouldn't make the problem worse to begin with, but I would also overhaul those agencies."

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