AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris
While Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries remains the odds-on favorite to replace Nancy Pelosi as leader of the House Democratic Caucus should she decide to retire after this term, there are growing signs that another high-profile Democrat, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, may also be eyeing the top post. But after years of pushing baseless conspiracy theories about former President Trump and engaging in shameless political pandering for media attention, Schiff’s reputation may already be too damaged for Democrats to legitimately consider him for the job, lest the party risk further damaging its image with the American people.
According to reports from Democratic insiders, Schiff plans to visit the districts of more than 10 Democratic candidates over the next two months, clearly in an effort to build up his national profile and gain important standing with members ahead of a potential leadership struggle next year. A longtime ally of Pelosi and a frequent guest on CNN and MSNBC, it is no surprise that Schiff is now eager to test the waters for his own bid at what will likely be the House Minority Leader post should Republicans do as expected and retake control of Congress this fall.
Notably, Schiff is a successful fundraiser – second only to Nancy Pelosi – a factor that could go a long way in deciding a leadership race. Both Schiff and Pelosi have the benefit of being from California, with no shortage of liberal megadonors ready to fill their campaign coffers. California is also home to a whopping 42 House Democrats, which may give Schiff a baked-in base of support among the Democratic caucus.
Despite these advantages, however, Schiff’s career in Congress has been defined by a series of embarrassing incidents that have both undermined his personal credibility and made the party as a whole look foolish in the eyes of the public – two things that are sure to loom large in a potential power struggle next January.
Like so many of Democrats’ most radical figures, Schiff is a career politician, and has served as a Congressman from the Los Angeles metro area since he was first elected in 2000. His first few terms were largely unremarkable and even moderate, as Schiff joined the Blue Dog Democrats and worked to avoid the polarization that was beginning to creep into American politics. He voted in favor of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act, and his biggest legislative fights were largely issues of local importance like reducing helicopter noise over Los Angeles.
That all changed with the election of Donald Trump in 2016, as Schiff became one of the most unhinged opponents of the former president and pushed seemingly every baseless conspiracy theory about his election and administration.
In March of 2017, Schiff told MSNBC that he couldn’t “go into particulars, but there is more than circumstantial evidence now” of Russian collusion in the 2016 election. Similarly, in December of 2017, Schiff told CNN that “the Russians gave help and the President [Trump] made full use of that help.” In August of 2018, he told CBS News that there was “plenty of evidence” of collusion. He also directly contradicted then-House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes’s famous memo in 2018 detailing federal targeting of the Trump campaign, calling it “unsupported by the facts.”
Of course, we now know that all of these statements were false, and Schiff knew they were wrong when he said them. According to documents released in 2020, Schiff had access to dozens of interviews with top Obama administration officials and intelligence personnel who all said the same thing – they had seen no evidence that anyone at the Trump campaign was conspiring with the Russians. The entire narrative was fabricated, a complete fantasy. Yet Schiff continued to block the release of the documents affirming as much, intent on continuing his media tour gaslighting the country into believing a lie in the hopes that it might advantage Democrats in an election.
As Democrats’ lead impeachment manager for their first effort to remove President Trump in 2019, Schiff also engaged in a slew of lies and falsehoods that quickly revealed the entire incident for the sham that it was. Most damningly, Schiff was exposed for fabricating an account of the call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, putting words into Trump’s mouth that the transcript showed he never spoke. Schiff later tried to save face by arguing that his supposed verbatim rehashing of the call was just a “parody.”
Following Biden’s victory in 2020, however, Schiff suddenly found himself facing the prospect of a Trump-less media landscape – thus threatening his one claim to fame with the mainstream press. He soon found his opportunity to cling to relevance with the January 6 Commission, and has made the most of it by again continuing to make the rounds on the nightly talk shows and repeatedly hinting at “big developments” soon to come. Much as was the case with the Russia Collusion hoax and Democrats’ first impeachment effort, Schiff has strung the country along in what will inevitably look to be a shameless attempt to raise his own national profile should he indeed seek a leadership post next year.
In many ways, Schiff’s conversion from timid moderate into full-throated radical progressive is indicative of the direction of the Democratic Party generally. At a time when voters are most concerned about rising inflation, sky-high gas prices, a crime wave, a border disaster, and a host of other crises, even elected Democrats can be expected to recognize that selecting as their leader a man who built his reputation on harassing conservatives rather than attempting to better the lives of American families would send exactly the wrong message about what the party’s priorities are.
Then again, selecting Hakeem Jeffries, Pramila Jayapal, or any other of the names being tossed around for Democratic Caucus Chair would still send that same message. Having no answers for the harm their policies have caused, Democrats seem unable to define themselves by anything other than cynical identity politics and sensationalist claims about nebulous “threats to democracy” for which no actual evidence exists, and the only solution is giving Democrats more power.
So, while Schiff is unlikely to be the next Democratic leader in the House, he is perhaps the best stand-in for why, whoever that leader is, he or she will likely find themselves in the minority for some time to come.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @Shane_Harris_
What a stupid, stupid article.
Adam Schiff is the foremost American leader in preserving our constitution and our democracy.
He is hated only by authoritarian Dominionists.
Schiff I am embarrassed to say is a Massachusetts native. He led a coup to overthrow a duly elected presedent.His coup continues to this day. Why is he not in jail like the Jan 6th protesters?
I misread “liberal megadonors” as “liberal donor-mongers.”
…or did I?
Very good article – Schiff is so stupid he has made his own grave through his continued falsehoods!
They get away with the corruption because we the people are allowing them to be corrupt because we are in a way in agreement with corrupt people, it is secretly hidden in our hearts
Other wise we would stand up and say no.
That is why
Rinoz are out of the closet.
We are in the closet of our heart.
There are no words to accurately describe Adam Schiff; he really is that awful and discusting.
Think about this! The government will bring charges against anyone who lies to congress, but they don’t do anything to a congressman who lies to congress. Anyone see anything wrong with that train of thought or legality. I guess you have to be part of the DNC to LCS legally. LCS is DNC training and practice for Lie, Cheat and Steal.
Schiff = Shiftless Serial Liar!!
This SOB needs his a@@ busted, phaq this MF’r
Adam Schiff is nothing more than a bold face LIAR
Democrats are destroying themselves before our eyes. They are the Party of the mentally deranged and weird perversions that they push as mainstream. Schiff is a stone cold liar. Jeffries is incompetent so I hope he becomes the minority leader. Democrats are a Party of the triggered and cannot focus on anything to help the American people. They are Marxist Elitists and prove it more everyday.
Everyone with a D in front of their name is really a Socialist/Communist and those RINOs belong with them. The entire party is corrupt and is involved is killing this economy and our country. Anyone that believes voting for a Dem will fix what they have ruined this last 18 months is a fool. Please, if you can’t bring yourself to vote for a Rebublican, vote Independent to save this country.
Adam Schiff is an intrinsic liar down to the bone. I am flabbergasted that there are no laws that could hold this kind of character accountable that would result in his removal from office, maybe even incarceration. I am losing faith in our legal system.
The only place Schiff should be is in prison! He purposely lied to everyone in America about the false Russian collusion. He is a disgrace and a traitor! It hurts my stomach to see these crooks get away with their crimes unpunished!
This guy is what they call ginormous joke anyone that does not go haha
He should be charged with an attempted coup and facing the death penalty
Schiff is crooked and needs to be removed from office. Everything he says is a lie.
This man deserves jail time with the other liars and cheats that falsely made statements to a witch hunt made towards a sitting president!! Why is this liar still holding office!
I don’t see being from California as a plus. It is more like a millstone tied around your neck.
I really don’t think so much power should be given to a sociopath.
NO MUSLIM SHOULD BE ABLE TO HOLD “ANY” OFFICE IN OUR GOVERNMENT! THEY DO NOT ADHERE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES!
Funny coincidence … shifty and Schiff seem to fit one person!
It is difficult for me to imagine using the word “leadership” associated with A dam. Schiff!!!! Tall about dregs of liquids … Schiff is the dregs of leadership. Is the DemocRat Party morphin in to a party of scumbags for leadership???? Hmmmm. Looking at Biden as a DemocRat President, it sure looks like a trend. Makes one wonder who is behind the curtains running the DemocRat Party.
schiff self identified as a lying little girl.
dems are kind enough to confirm and re-affirm they are not Americans daily or more often.
Why hasn’t Schifty been arrested for is recent child sex Trafficking? Oh yah, the FBI
“schiff” shows how corrupt the government is.
Congenital liar. But then, that describes the majority of Democrats.
After the mid-terms, Republicans will be stripping schitf of all his committee memberships because of his unprincipled lies in office. Dems would be crazy to elevate him to a leadership position because that would force them to defend his dishonesty every time he appears in the news.
Schiff is more disgusting than the odor wafting from my crotch after 3 days of no bathing.
And like any other lying liar, guys like this will get away with it…..because they run with lying liars.
Shiff, like many others is just one thing….a polititian…..nothing more, nothing less. That is his life.
And he is in “good company” as he walks and talks with fellow career political animals. Why would anyone expect anything else from him? The really sad part is that his constituents as stupid enough to believe his lies, agree with his lies, and promote his lies by electing him, and re-electing him. This is the sorry story of our system…long term political hacks who garner support from lazy, uninformed dummies with their hands out……and this is not limited to democrats…..there are plenty of republicans who are no less lying liars, career polititians of the same breed.
If Adam Shifty is all the DEMONRATS have to “replace” Nanzi corruption Pelosi, and Joey Corruption Biden and The DEMONRAT/RINO Trump-hating THUG PARTY COUP is a complete failure and the AMERICAN PEOPLE will take down the tyranny. Adam Shifty is as sleazy, as unctuous, as repulsive as Chuck U Schumer, Mad Maxine Waters, The Lurch Fop Mr. Heinz Kerry and Gruesome Newsom combined. FJB and RISE UP, AMERICA. ALL ILLEGALS have to be arrested and deported and STOP sending them to D.C. and SEND THEM BACK OVER THE BORDER.
SAVE THE U.S.A…..arrest and deport all demonrats, commies, and socialists to NORTH KOREA FOR TREASON!… It’s time for a new civil war against the leftie loonies!…..
Schiff is a laughing stock now . If the dems put him as minority leader the Democrats will be seen as even more as a joke . Hey you can’t fix stupid !!!
Is it just me, or does Schiff remind you of that quintessential dork from middle school?
Either way, what he has done to (further) soil the reputation of Congress with his baseless claims against President Trump has deservedly reduced that body’s majority to a laughingstock. And to have so many hanging on his every word…how gullible can you be?
Did you know that he funded his campaign with money from Ukrainian arms dealers, before the war broke out? Yeah, little know fact. Might make a difference if anyone wanted to kneecap him before the election. Where do I send my donation? yaacovapelbaum.com/2019/09/29/how-to-finance-your-congressional-campaign-with-arms-sales/?utm
“…career in Congress has been defined by a series of embarrassing incidents”…you mean like he’s a lying scumbag? Yeah, I agree.
Amazing that someone can make Jeffries look like a sane choice.
Yes, “we” know that Schiff is full of it, but it is striking that he turns out to be a prodigious fund raiser. So, there enough of “them” who think he’s great whether or not they his schiff.
Do his fans understand his nonsense to be nonsense but cheer it on, nonetheless? Or do they actually believe it?
schiff is a superating boil on a pig’s butt
Schiff used to be an AUSA. Every conviction he was involved in should be re-examined now that we know what kind of ethics he has as a prosecutor. Consider what he was willing to do under the spotlight of national attention against a sitting President. Now think what he would be willing to do against some innocent nobody
adam IS A MALIGNANT CANCEROUS TUMOR AS ARE ALL libs
VOTE OUT ALL DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Voting for him??? Nah, rigging the election to his favor is more likely the explanation.
If you want to know why an Amendment for Congressperson Term limits is needed, all you have to do is be a little bit familiar with that donkey-hold Schiff!!
Any patriot can frag the traitor Schiff, with a perfectly clean conscience.
He’s a dirty, treasonous Berliner Marxist Jew trying hard to destroy the USA.
Schiff, like Biden, carries no expectation of honesty or competence. For this reason alone he will be selected by the regime until they figure out the next scam.
Pelosi merely represented the end of bi partisanship. Schiff represents the coming out of the real democrat thug party.
I suspect it’s due to Gerrymandering and, as the article notes, lots of $$$ donated by wealthy California liberals – you know the ones who excel at virtue-signaling and hypocrisy by lecturing the rest of us about who we should embrace all these idiotic leftist positions on climate change and illegal immigration while they have insulated themselves from the disastrous consequences of these policies.