U.S. House of Representatives (2001–2024)
Elections in June 2019 In 2000, Schiff challenged
James E. Rogan, the incumbent, in what was then
California's 27th congressional district. The district had once been a Republican stronghold but had been trending Democratic since the early 1990s. In what was the most expensive House race ever at the time, Schiff unseated Rogan, taking 53% of the vote to Rogan's 44%. He became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913. After the 2000 census, the district was renumbered the
29th and made significantly more Democratic. As a result, Schiff never faced another contest nearly as close as his 2000 bid, and was reelected 11 times. His district became even more Democratic after the 2010 census, when it was renumbered the
28th and pushed into Los Angeles proper. Even before that, none of his Republican challengers had cleared 35% of the vote. In 2010, Schiff defeated Tea Party–backed Republican John Colbert for a sixth term. In 2012, he defeated Republican Phil Jennerjahn. In 2014, he defeated independent candidate Steve Stokes. In 2016, he defeated Republican candidate Lenore Solis. In 2018, Schiff initially competed in the primary with Democratic challenger
Kim Gruenenfelder. After Gruenenfelder dropped out of the race, Schiff defeated Republican nominee Johnny Nalbandian. In 2020, Schiff faced a crowded primary, which included Republican attorney Eric Early and Democratic drag queen
Maebe A. Girl. He won the primary with a majority of the vote, with Girl and Early in a close race for second. On March 27, Early was finally determined to have advanced to the general election. Schiff easily won the general election. After the 2020 census, Schiff's district was renumbered the
30th and made more Democratic. In January 2022, Schiff announced he would run for reelection in the new 30th district. He defeated Girl with 71% of the vote. In lieu of running for a 13th term, Schiff ran to succeed
Dianne Feinstein in the
United States Senate in
2024, and won. In preparation for an appointment to finish the remainder of Feinstein's term, he resigned from the House on December 8, 2024.
Tenure 2003 invasion of Iraq Schiff voted in favor of the
2003 invasion of Iraq. In February 2015, discussing how or whether to tailor Bush-era plans from 2001 and 2002 to fight ISIS, he was asked whether he regretted that vote. He said: "Absolutely. Unfortunately, our intelligence was dead wrong on that, on Saddam at that time. The vote set in motion a cascading series of events which have [had] disastrous consequences." during the 115th Congress at a party hosted by the
Podesta Group in Washington, D.C., honoring the inauguration of
Barack Obama 2014 in November 2014 in Los Angeles
Armenian genocide resolution Schiff has been a leading voice in
Armenian-American issues; he claims that over 70,000 Armenian-Americans reside in his district. He introduced
U.S. House Resolution 106, recognizing the
Armenian genocide, which the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved on October 11, 2007, but which began to lose support after Turkey's prime minister said that approval of the resolution would endanger U.S.–Turkey relations. On March 4, 2010, the House Foreign Affairs Committee again approved the resolution by a 23–22 margin. Immediately, the Turkish government recalled its U.S. ambassador. On October 29, 2019, the full House of Representatives passed the resolution by a vote of 405–11. Schiff has an "A+" rating and is endorsed by the
Armenian National Committee of America.
Helicopter noise Beginning with Representative
Howard Berman before Berman was voted out, Schiff worked on the Helicopter Noise Relief Act, a measure to reduce unwanted helicopter noise across
Los Angeles County by authorizing the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study and regulate it. After reintroducing his legislation, Schiff worked with Senator
Dianne Feinstein to push the FAA to act, and together they attached a provision in the 2014 omnibus appropriations package directing the
U.S. secretary of transportation and the FAA to address helicopter noise in Los Angeles County. As a result, in 2015 the FAA created a countywide helicopter noise public complaint system, the first step toward regulation.
Intelligence and surveillance reform Schiff has been a prominent supporter of surveillance reform, especially in the wake of
Edward Snowden's leaks of classified intelligence. In 2007, in response to disclosure of the
Terrorist Surveillance Program, Schiff and Representative
Jeff Flake offered a successful amendment to clarify that the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is the exclusive means for collecting foreign intelligence information within the U.S. Schiff criticized the
National Security Agency's bulk collection of telephone metadata. In 2014, he introduced the Telephone Metadata Reform Act, which would prohibit the bulk collection of domestic phone records. Schiff also introduced several bills aimed at reforming the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, including a bill to require outside counsel to be appointed to argue for privacy and civil liberties protections in certain cases before the Court.
Investigation of Benghazi attack Nancy Pelosi appointed Schiff to the
House Select Committee on Benghazi in 2014 as one of the five Democrats on the committee. He had participated in the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence investigation into the attacks on the Benghazi diplomatic compound, which found that the initial talking points the intelligence community provided were flawed but not intended to deceive, and that diplomatic facilities across the world lacked adequate security. The report's findings were unanimous and bipartisan. Before he was appointed to the Benghazi Select Committee, Schiff called the establishment of a select committee to investigate the 2012 attack a "colossal waste of time" and said Democratic leaders should not appoint any members: "I think it's just a tremendous red herring and a waste of taxpayer resources". Despite those reservations, he accepted an appointment to the Committee because if he felt he "could add value, [he] would serve".
Press freedom In 2006, Schiff formed the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Caucus for the Freedom of the Press, aimed at advancing press freedom around the world. The Caucus proposed the
Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, originally introduced to Congress by Schiff, Representative
Mike Pence, and Senator
Christopher Dodd on October 1, 2009, in response to the murder of
Daniel Pearl by terrorists in Pakistan. The legislation requires the
United States Department of State to expand its scrutiny of news media intimidation and freedom of the press restrictions during its annual report on human rights in each country. The act passed the House by a vote of 403 to 12 and unanimously in the
Senate, but the Senate removed a provision requiring the secretary of state (in coordination with the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and in consultation with the Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy) to establish a grant program aiming to promote freedom of the press worldwide. On May 17, 2010, President Barack Obama, accompanied by the Pearl family, signed the act into law.
Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen In 2015, Schiff supported the
Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen, saying: "The military action by Saudi Arabia and its partners was necessitated by the illegal action of the Houthi rebels and their Iranian backers. ... But ultimately, a negotiated end to this crisis is the only way to restore order in Yemen and shrink the space for terrorism". In April 2019, Schiff voted for a bipartisan resolution under the
War Powers Act to end U.S. involvement in the war. It passed the Senate, but after passing the House it was vetoed.
War authorization reform and authorization against ISIS After Obama's speech at the
National Defense University examining the U.S. war powers during the
war on terror, Schiff introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal the 2001
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists because he felt that "the current AUMF is outdated and straining at the edges to justify the use of force outside the war theater". The bill, introduced with Representative
Tom Rooney, was intended to sunset. Schiff has also been a forceful proponent of debating and voting on a new war authorization against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Schiff has been a supporter of
national defense spending, voting for every increase in the defense budget during his career.
Comments on Trump–Russia collusion investigation In a March 22, 2017, interview with
Chuck Todd, Schiff said there was "more than circumstantial evidence now" that
Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia. Todd asked whether he had seen direct evidence of collusion and Schiff responded that there was "evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of investigation". On April 2, 2017, Schiff, the
ranking member on the
House Select Intelligence Committee, which is tasked with conducting inquiries related to
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, appeared on
CNN's
State of the Union. In a wide-ranging interview, Schiff and host
Jake Tapper discussed
Michael Flynn's request for immunity, Schiff's and
Devin Nunes's separate inspections of White House documents, Trump's allegations of wiretapping in Trump Tower, and Nunes's apparent close association with the Trump White House. Tapper asked Schiff whether there was evidence that Trump colluded with Russia. Schiff replied: "I don't think we can say anything definitively at this point. We are still at the very early stage of the investigation. The only thing I can say is that it would be irresponsible for us not to get to the bottom of this". Tapper asked, "Do you think that Chairman Nunes was part of an attempt to provide some sort of cover for the president's claim about Obama wiretapping him at Trump Tower, which, obviously, this does not prove, but to cover for that, or an attempt to distract, as you're suggesting?" Schiff replied, "It certainly is an attempt to distract and to hide the origin of the materials, to hide the White House hand. The question is, of course, why? And I think the answer to the question is this effort to point the Congress in other directions, basically say, don't look at me, don't look at Russia, there is nothing to see here". A few days later, Nunes recused himself as leader of the investigative panel while the
House Committee on Ethics investigated whether he had disclosed classified information. On July 23, 2017, on
Meet the Press, Schiff said: "at the end of the day we need to make sure that our president is operating not in his personal best interests and not because he's worried about what the Russians might have but because what he is doing is in America's best interest. The fact that we have questions about this is in itself harmful". The next morning on Twitter, Trump called Schiff "Sleazy Adam Schiff, the totally biased Congressman looking into 'Russia and called the Russian collusion investigation "the Dem loss excuse". Schiff responded on Twitter that the president's "comments and actions are beneath the dignity of the office". In December 2018, Schiff suggested that Trump associate
Roger Stone might have lied to Congress, and said the transcript of his testimony should be forwarded to the Special Counsel. In November 2019, Stone was convicted of lying to Congress. When he became chair of the House Intelligence Committee in 2019, Schiff embarked on a personal mission to investigate Trump's connections to Russia, separate from the Special Counsel investigation. He came under fire when he demurred when asked if he would accept it if the Special Counsel's investigation concluded that Trump had not colluded with Russia, saying that he had 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. On March 28, 2019, the nine Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee officially called for Schiff to resign due to his allegations that Trump's campaign colluded with Russians in the 2016 election. Schiff responded by accusing the Republican members of tolerating "immoral" and "corrupt" conduct by Trump campaign members and administration appointees.
Censure On June 21, 2023, the House of Representatives
censured Schiff in a
party-line vote on H.Res. 521, which investigated his role as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in promoting the "conspiracy theory" that Trump colluded with Russia in the
2016 United States presidential election. The resolution alleged that Schiff misled the American public with "falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuses of sensitive information" about the election and as part of the
first impeachment of Donald Trump. Schiff has denied the allegations, calling them "defamatory".
North Korea Schiff called
North Korea "one of the most brutal and despotic regimes in the world". After the death of American student
Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned during a visit to North Korea, Schiff said, "The barbaric treatment of Otto Warmbier by the North Korean regime amounts to the murder of a U.S. citizen". In April 2018, when asked whether he thought Trump deserved at least partial credit for North Korea's involvement in talks with the U.S., Schiff replied: "I think it's more than fair to say that the combination of the president's unpredictability and indeed his bellicosity had something to do with the North Koreans deciding to come to the negotiating table".
Israel and antisemitism in 2002 Schiff is a supporter of
Israel. In December 2016, he urged Obama to veto
UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned
Israeli settlement building in the occupied
Palestinian territories as a violation of
international law. in the
Knesset, Jerusalem, February 2022 In February 2019, Representative
Ilhan Omar tweeted, "It's all about the Benjamins baby" in reference to American politicians' support for Israel and invoked the
pro-Israel lobby American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The tweet received widespread bipartisan condemnation, including from Schiff, for implying that lobby money was fueling American politicians' support of Israel. Schiff said it was "never acceptable to give voice to, or repeat, anti-Semitic smears". In October 2023, Schiff condemned
Hamas's actions during the
Gaza war and expressed his support for Israel and its right to self-defense. He rejected calls for a ceasefire but said he supported "humanitarian pauses" to deliver aid to Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip. The AIPAC-affiliated
Super PAC, United Democracy Project, gave $5 million to the pro-Schiff Super PAC Standing Strong during Schiff's 2024 Senate primary campaign, as confirmed by its spokesman, Patrick Dorton.
Democratic Majority for Israel's political arm, DMFI PAC, also endorsed Schiff during this campaign.
Murder of Jamal Khashoggi After news reports that the
CIA concluded that Saudi crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the assassination of Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi, Trump said there was insufficient CIA evidence to link bin Salman to the murder. As the top Democrat on the
House Intelligence Committee, Schiff was briefed by the CIA on the agency assessment, and said afterward that Trump was being dishonest about the CIA findings.
Impeachments In 2009, Schiff was appointed and served as an
impeachment manager (prosecutor) in the
impeachment trial of Judge
Samuel B. Kent. He was the lead manager alongside
Bob Goodlatte. The next year, Schiff was appointed and served as an impeachment manager in the impeachment trial of Judge
Thomas Porteous. He was again the lead manager alongside Goodlatte. Trump was impeached along party lines by 228 votes to 193 in the House on December 18, 2019, making him the third president to be impeached. On January 15, 2020, House speaker
Nancy Pelosi named Schiff a lead impeachment manager. In this role, he led a team of seven House members responsible for presenting the impeachment case against Trump during his Senate trial. He said the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war "must cause us [to] reexamine our relationship with both Turkey and Azerbaijan. If an ally of the United States is recruiting fighters from Syria to encourage further bloodshed and murder of civilians, what kind of ally are they in
NATO or otherwise?". Schiff co-signed a letter to Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo stating: "We write to express our deep concern with Azerbaijan's renewed aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and the rising possibility of a wider conflict with Armenia. We ask that the Administration use all available diplomatic tools to reduce tensions, end the fighting, and restrain Azerbaijan from further offensive actions." Schiff called for U.S. recognition of the
Republic of Artsakh, which was an
autonomous oblast within the
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a
separatist war in 1994. He reiterated that call in April 2023.
Investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol On July 1, 2021, Pelosi appointed nine members (seven Democrats and two Republicans) to the
Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, which included Schiff. On June 21, 2022, Schiff led Day 4 of the committee's
public hearings, which included testimony from three Republican officials to whom Trump reached out after the election: Georgia secretary of state
Brad Raffensperger, his deputy Gabe Sterling, and Arizona House of Representatives speaker
Rusty Bowers. The second half of the hearing focused on Trump supporters' harassment of and threats to Georgia poll worker
Wandrea' ArShaye Moss and her family, which led her to quit her job and go into hiding. Schiff was interviewed after the hearing by reporters and called the testimony "enormously powerful". He added, "The lie lives on, and with it so does the danger."
Ban on stock trading Schiff supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.
Committee assignments For the
118th Congress: •
Committee on the Judiciary •
Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Caucus memberships • Co-chair of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus • Co-founded the Democratic Study Group on National Security • Co-founded the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press •
Black Maternal Health Caucus •
House Baltic Caucus •
Congressional Arts Caucus •
Afterschool Caucuses •
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus •
Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment •
Congressional Taiwan Caucus •
Congressional Ukraine Caucus •
United States–China Working Group == Campaign for appointment to be California's attorney general ==