President Donald Trump tore into Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) on Wednesday, saying the House Intelligence Committee chairman isn’t nearly as educated and competent as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

In remarks to reporters at the White House during Finish President Sauli Niinisto‘s visit, Trump deployed an expression used to signify that one person is less competent that another to compare Schiff and Pompeo, the former CIA director: “he couldn’t carry his jockstrap.” However, Trump did not actually use the word “jockstrap,” and instead said “blank strap.” Trump also blasted Schiff — one of several prominent House Democrats spearheading the impeachment inquiry over the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s leader — by calling him “shifty” and a “lowlife before touting Pompeo’s accomplishments.

“I saw Schiff trying to go—we all call him “Shifty Schiff,” we don’t call him Shifty Schiff for nothing,” said Trump. “He’s a shifty, dishonest guy who by the way was critical of one of the greatest secretaries of state, graduated number one in his class at West Point, graduated one of the top in his class at Harvard Law School, the most honorable person, Mike Pompeo, and this guy was negative on Mike Pompeo. He can’t—you know there’s an expression—‘he couldn’t carry his blank strap’—I won’t say it because they’ll say it was so terrible to say, but that guy couldn’t carry his blank strap. Do you understand that? So you’re dealing with bad people,” the president added.


Earlier in the day, Trump reiterated to reporters he believes Schiff should be obligated to resign and that the California Democrat must be probed for “treason.” The president accused the House Intelligence Committee chairman of having “fabricated” what Trump said during his phone call with Ukraine’s leader. This week, Pompeo admitted he was on the phone call between the two leaders. However, the secretary of State has refused to comply with House Democrats’ subpoenas for testimony and documents related to the scandal.

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