When he became the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in 2019, Schiff took a personal mission to investigate Trump's connections to Russia, separate from the investigation by the Special Counsel. Schiff came under fire when he demurred when asked if he would accept it if the Special Counsel's investigation concluded that Donald Trump did not collude with Russia, saying that he has great confidence in Mueller but that "there may be, for example, evidence of collusion or conspiracy that is clear and convincing, but not proof beyond a reasonable doubt," as is needed for a criminal conviction.