AP/WASHINGTON DemocratAs a House impeachment manager, Adam Schiffs stood on the Senate floor nearly five years ago and passionately argued that Donald Trump should be removed from office for abusing his position of authority. At one point, his voice cracked as he warned the senators, “If right doesn’t matter, we’re lost.”
Senators voted to exonerate Trump from the Democratic-led impeachment accusations related to his interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because the Republican-led Senate was not persuaded. After his supporters stormed the Capitol and attempted to reverse his defeat, Trump would survive a second impeachment a year later.
Trump is now returning to the White House with a solid hold on the unified Republican Congress and more political clout than before. One of Trump’s most ardent opponents, Schiff, will also be inducted into the Senate on Monday as a member of a Democratic caucus that is moving into the minority and has so far refrained from challenging the outgoing president, preferring to wait and see in the weeks leading up to his inauguration.
Schiff, the newest senator from California, says he would not back down from a fight with Trump when he feels it is essential. After running his campaign in Republican parts of his state and trying to understand more about rural concerns that weren’t part of his portfolio in his metropolitan Los Angeles House district, he also hopes to be known for his bipartisanship.
As he ran against Trump in his first term, Schiff said, “I think being there and letting folks get to know me, kick the tires a bit, helps overcome some of the sort of Fox News stereotypes.” He adds that he views that approach as a means of learning more about Democrats’ future plans in the wake of the November election defeats.
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, welcomes incoming Democrat senators in his office Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Washington, from right, Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, Sen.-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Sen.-elect Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, Schumer, Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen.-elect Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J. AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Image courtesy of Mariam Zuhaib/Associated Press
Since Schiff is taking over for longtime Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away last year, he will be sworn in weeks before the new Congress meets on January 3. Early this week, he will join Democratic House colleague Andy Kimof of New Jersey, who is serving as a replacement for former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who resigned after being found guilty of federal bribery.
Feinstein, who frequently worked across the aisle and cultivated good connections with other senators, valued bipartisanship. However, liberal voters in California also frequently criticized her work with Republicans.
In an interview with The Associated Press prior to his swearing-in, Schiff stated that Feinstein was able to do two things at once, which I will also need to try to do: work with others to deliver for the state, work across party lines to get things done, and at the same time, stand up and defend people’s rights, their freedom, and their values when those things are threatened.
In the Trump age, he argues, those priorities will often conflict, so I’ll have to strive to do both.
Having spent time with Schiff as he gets ready to enter the Senate, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii says he believes Schiff is taking the appropriate tack by questioning other senators and avoiding voicing his opinions wherever possible.
Schatz states that while everyone is aware of his ability, he also recognizes that he is a freshman and that it is welcomed when a player of his caliber recognizes that he is joining a team here.
Schiff will not be able to simply abandon his longstanding position as a leading Trump opponent, despite being censured by House Republicans last year for his participation in investigations into Trump’s ties to Russia. While many of his fellow Democrats have been silent, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is more well-known than the majority of his fellow incoming freshmen. In recent weeks, he has been attacking Trump on social media and some of his Cabinet appointments.
Schiff wrote on X this week that the Senate should reject FBI director nominee Kash Patel, a former GOP staffer on the House intelligence panel, because he is more qualified as an internet troll than an FBI director.
Trump has threatened to exact revenge on whomever he considers his political rivals, so he might also be included in the article. For aides and allies like Schiff who attempted to hold Trump responsible for his attempts to rig the 2020 election, President Joe Biden has been thinking about pardoning them in advance. Trump has referred to Schiff as an internal enemy and has suggested that he should be jailed for treason.
However, Schiff claims he doesn’t believe that’s required. He argued that Biden shouldn’t spend his remaining time in office defending himself or anyone else that Trump is targeting.
Furthermore, the ex-prosecutor has extensive expertise protecting himself against Republican assaults. Schiff visited McCarthy’s district and spoke with local officials following the House censure, which took place when fellow California Representative Kevin McCarthy was speaker and Schiff was already vying for Feinstein’s Senate seat. When a conservative news outlet there asked him what he thought of McCarthy calling him a liar, I responded something along the lines of, well, coming from Kevin, I m sure he means that as some form of a compliment, Schiff said.
Schiff is unlikely similarly to go after his colleagues in the Senate, which he says is a very different place culturally than the House. He s already tried to make inroads with Republicans, including incoming Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, whom he has talked to about working together on wildfire legislation important to both of their states.
And he could possibly win some grudging respect from more veteran Senate Republicans, some of whom praised him during the 2020 impeachment trial even as they vehemently disagreed with his premise and voted not to convict Trump.
After the first day of arguments, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham shook his hand and told him he was doing a good job. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, whowill becomeSenate majority leader next year, said at the time that Schiff was passionate and his case has been well articulated.
Schiff said he got the sense that some Republican senators were a bit surprised that I wasn t this caricature, and also that the Senate is a more collegial place than the House.
I don t think it was a hurtful introduction, he said.
___
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!