Trump appointed his legal defense lawyer Todd Blanche, from his hush money criminal trial, to serve as the second-highest ranking Justice Department official. In March, he also fired at least 20 leaders of federal offices created by Congress to hold administrations accountable.

Schiff also warned that, unlike past administration, the modern Republican Party is beholden to Trump. All but five Republicans voted in favor of an effort to dismiss Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial for “incitement of insurrection” a mere 20 days after Trump led the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege.

“Republicans didn't want to investigate Russia’s interference in our election. They didn't want to investigate the president's effort to extort [Ukranian President Volodymyr] Zelensky into helping him in the next election.”

Instead, it fell to Democrats to conduct investigations as a minority, and Schiff said that’s how it will go again this year.

“[T] his is what we're going to have to do now,” Schiff said. “We're likewise seeing people step forward. I did a hearing a few days ago with Rep. Jamie Raskin, where we had witnesses who both quit or were fired at the Justice Department because they saw corrupt things going on that they would not participate in, and I think that hearing was powerful. We need to do a lot more of that.”

“We're not without our tools, even in the minority,” he added.