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 make the conversation seem sinister. Pretending to be President Trump, Chairman Schiff said in part:

"I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you though. And I'm going to say this only seven times so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand. Lots of it."

These words were never uttered by President Trump. When Chairman Schiff rightly faced criticism for his actions, he blamed others for not understanding that he was joking. Republicans sought to hold Chairman Schiff accountable for his fabrication of evidence; however, Democrats prevented the House from voting on a censure resolution.

In October 2019, the New York Times reported that the whistleblower contacted a staff member on the House Intelligence Committee—chaired by Chairman Schiff—after asking a colleague to convey his or her concerns about the July 25 call to the CIA's top lawyer. Chairman Schiff, however, had denied ever communicating directly with the whistleblower, and the whistleblower failed to disclose that he or she had contacted Chairman Schiff's staff when asked by the Intelligence Community Inspector General. Chairman Schiff acknowledged his early awareness of the whistleblower's allegations only after he was caught. The Washington Post gave Chairman Schiff "Four Pinocchios"—its worst rating—for "clearly ma[king] a statement that was false."

Chairman Schiff's early awareness of the whistleblower complaint explains why he publicly posited a connection between paused U.S. security assistance and Ukrainian investigations well before the whistleblower complaint became public. On August 28, 2019, before the public became aware of the whistleblower complaint or any allegations that U.S. security assistance to Ukraine was linked to Ukraine investigating President Trump's political rival, Chairman Schiff made such a connection in a tweet. According to the New York Times, Chairman Schiff knew "the outlines" of the anonymous whistleblower complaint at the time that he issued this tweet. 93