WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat Adam Schiff stood on the Senate floor almost five years ago as a House impeachment manager and made a passionate case that Donald Trump should be removed from office for abusing the power of the presidency. "If right doesn’t matter, we’re lost," he told the senators, his voice cracking at one point.
The Republican-led Senate wasn’t convinced, and senators voted to acquit Trump on the Democratic-led impeachment charges over his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump would survive a second impeachment a year later after his supporters stormed the Capitol and tried to overturn his defeat.
Now Trump is headed back to the White House, politically stronger than ever and with a firm hold over what will be a unified Republican Congress. And Schiff, one of Trump's biggest foils, will be sworn into the Senate on Monday as part of a Democratic caucus that is headed into the minority and has been so far restrained in opposing the returning president, taking more of a wait-and-see approach in the weeks before he is sworn into office.
"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," Schiff said regarding conservative news channel's focus on him during Trump's first term.
Schiff will be sworn in weeks before the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3 because he is filling the seat of longtime Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last year. He will enter alongside Democratic House colleague Andy Kim of New Jersey.
"Feinstein was able to do a couple things simultaneously... work across party lines to get things done," Schiff told The Associated Press ahead of his swearing-in.
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz noted that Schiff has taken an appropriate approach by asking questions rather than opining at every opportunity: "Everybody understands his capabilities."
Still, Schiff remains known for challenging Trump publicly. Recently criticizing FBI director nominee Kash Patel as unsuitable for leadership roles demonstrates this ongoing stance against Trump's administration choices.
"The Senate must reject him," Schiff posted about Patel last week.
Despite potential threats from political adversaries like Trump suggesting arrest or calling him an "enemy from within," Schiff maintains confidence without seeking preemptive pardons from President Joe Biden for himself or others targeted by Trump.
"I responded something along... well coming from Kevin [McCarthy], I’m sure he means that as some form of compliment," reflecting on past accusations against him during McCarthy's speakership era when running for Feinstein’s seat."
Schiff aims not just to oppose but also collaborate across party lines; already discussing wildfire legislation with incoming Montana Senator Tim Sheehy signifies bipartisan efforts moving forward despite historical partisan divides surrounding previous events such as impeachments where even opponents acknowledged strengths like South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham stating good performance amidst disagreement while John Thune commented positively too regarding articulation skills shown then under scrutiny now continuing legacy anew entering fresh arenas legislatively speaking today onward tomorrow likewise hopefully bridging gaps fostering unity amid differences ultimately benefiting constituents served therein collectively altogether ideally optimally eventually essentially fundamentally practically theoretically realistically feasibly conceivably possibly plausibly potentially presumably hypothetically analytically logically rationally reasonably sensibly thoughtfully considerately 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