Schiff, 62, has come under fire from Donald Trump for his harsh criticism of the former president from various positions: the manager Trump fired in 2020, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the House Select Committee. January 62021, Attack on the Capitol.
In his campaign announcement, Schiff returned to all those roles.
“The fight for our democracy and working families is part of that same fight,” Schiff said. “Because if our democracy doesn’t deliver for Americans, they’ll look for alternatives, like a dangerous demagogue who promises he’s the only one who can fix it.”
Schiff was first elected to Congress in 2000, representing a large swath of the greater Los Angeles area, including the San Gabriel Valley. He previously served as a California state senator and assistant U.S. attorney, where he prosecuted cases. FBI agent Richard Miller for spying.
Schiff gained national attention for himself An emotional closing statement at Trump’s first impeachment trialIn it he urged members of Congress to impeach Trump because he could still do “a lot of damage” in the months leading up to the election.
“Does anyone really question whether the President deserves the charges leveled against him? ‘Donald Trump would never do such a thing!’ No one has really made the argument that. Because of course we knew he would, of course we knew he did,” Schiff said.
The House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump for withholding military aid from Ukraine and pressuring that country to announce an investigation into Joe Biden. Schiff, who allowed Trump to remain in office, argued that the 2020 election would be even more dangerous if the Russians began meddling again.
“Can you have the slightest hope that Donald Trump will stand up to them and protect our national interest over his own?” Schiff said. “You know you can’t, which makes him dangerous to this country.”
The Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in February 2020, and would do so again a year later after Trump took office. Accused for the second time for inciting the January 6 attack on the US capital.
However, the consequences of Schiff’s role in the first impeachment trial are still being felt three years later. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Recently Schiff was blocked “We cannot put partisan loyalties ahead of national security,” he said of returning to serve on the Intelligence Committee.
Schiff later told reporters, “It seems like a cardinal sin that I presided over the indictment. [McCarthy’s] Master at Mar-a-Lago.”
“He’ll do the ex-president’s bidding,” Schiff said. “He has complete confidence in the former president, which is something a former president would love.”
Feinstein, 89, filed initial paperwork last year to seek re-election in 2024, but has not publicly said whether she will seek another term. California’s other senator, Democrat Alex Padilla, 49, won his first full term in November and won’t seek re-election until 2028.
Schiff will join Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, 49 She announced the run This month, and Barbara Lee, 76, who He told colleagues He wants to run for the Senate. California is heavily Democratic and uses an all-party primary system in which the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
Feinstein, a former mayor of San Francisco, was elected to the Senate in 1992 amid outrage among Senate women over Anita Hill, who was accused of sexual harassment when Clarence Thomas was nominated for a Supreme Court justice. Thomas denied the allegations.
As the oldest senator, Feinstein has fended off questions about her age and ability to serve for years, but has relinquished several key roles in recent years. He resigned as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee before the 117th Congress. Last year, Feinstein declined to consider becoming pro-president of the Senate, which traditionally goes to the senior senator of the ruling party and third in line to the presidency. Instead, the role was played by Sen. Patty moved to Murray (D-Wash.).
If Feinstein steps down before the end of her term, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has said he would appoint a black woman to the position.
“We have a lot of names in mind, and the answer is yes,” he said when asked on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” in 2021 if he would do so.
Kamala D. from California. Since Harris resigned as vice president, there have been no black women in the Senate. Newsom appointed Padilla to fill Harris’ seat, making him the first Latino senator to represent California.
The race for Feinstein’s seat will be a competitive and expensive one, regardless of whether Feinstein runs for re-election. Most recent The Central Election Commission said Schiff had a $20.6 million campaign fund. Porter had $7.7 million in cash, while Lee had $54,940.
Dylan Wells contributed to this report.
