BuzzFeed’s Report Has Been Disputed By Mueller, But Adam Schiff Is Going To Investigate Anyway

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that he will “absolutely” investigate allegations made in a controversial BuzzFeed article even though the report has been directly disputed by the special counsel’s office.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Schiff told CBS’s “Face the Nation” when asked whether he would investigate allegations laid out in a BuzzFeed article published on Thursday.

“Congress has a fundamental interest in two things. First, getting to the bottom why this witness came before us and lied, and who else was knowledgeable that this was a lie,” the California Democrat added.

Schiff says Mueller’s office may have disputed BuzzFeed report because it wants to use Michael Cohen as witness for more prosecutions, and “wanted to make sure that the public didn’t have the perception that he was saying more than he was saying, at least to the special counsel” pic.twitter.com/VqkmBY5Zkd

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2019

The allegation that the President of the United States may have suborned perjury before our committee in an effort to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date. We will do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true. https://t.co/GljBAFqOjh

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 18, 2019

But in a rare move, the special counsel issued an on-the-record statement disputing the key allegations made in the BuzzFeed story.

“BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” Peter Carr, a spokesman for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, said in a statement on Friday night.

Schiff said that he assumed the Mueller statement was prompted by the reaction to the BuzzFeed story.

“Also it may have to do with the special council wanting to use Michael Cohen as a witness in further prosecutions and wanted to make sure that the public didn’t have the perception he was saying more than he was saying, at least to the special council,” Schiff said.