Mark Coles from BBC Radio looks at the life of Adam Schiff, chair of the US House Intelligence Committee, who is leading the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Click on the BBC Radio link to hear the interview.
By Brian Rokus Updated 7:28 PM ET, Tue November 12, 2019 Leading the House impeachment inquiry is not where Adam Schiff expected to be… (CNN)When Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California decided to join the House Intelligence Committee in 2008, leading an impeachment inquiry one day wasn’t quite what he anticipated. “He wanted to go on the Intelligence Committee for two principle reasons: Number one, it was bipartisan, and number two, it was quiet,” said former Democratic Rep. Steve Israel of New York, a close Schiff friend. “And so I often say to him, ‘How did that work out for you, buddy?’ “For Schiff, it did not work out as expected. “It feels at times like it’s being in the eye of the hurricane,” Schiff told CNN’s Gloria Borger. “You can never tell when you’re going to step out of the eye and into gale-force wind.” Those winds have often come from the White House, with President Donald Trump calling for him to resign and even be investigated for treason. “I can’t even keep up with the President’s Twitter attacks on me,” Schiff said, adding that his staff no longer bothers to send him all of the President’s tweets. “They’re just too numerous.” The attacks only intensified after Schiff changed his mind about impeaching the President. During the Russia investigation, Schiff hadn’t been sold that impeachment was the best course of action.” I always thought the strongest argument for impeachment was… Read More »Karl Thurmond – Longtime Friend and Law School Classmate to Adam Schiff
AILSA CHANG, HOST: And now a closer look at one of the people President Trump says is trying to destroy the country. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST) ADAM SCHIFF: If the president were making a criminal bargain with a foreign leader, he would be no more protected than you or I. CHANG: That is the voice of Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. He chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and he’s been tapped by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The president vilifies him a lot. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He should resign from office in disgrace. And frankly, they should look at him for treason. CHANG: Schiff is serving his 10th term in Congress, though relatively few people outside his Los Angeles district would’ve recognized him before the Trump presidency. NPR’s Ina Jaffe has this profile of Adam Schiff. INA JAFFE, BYLINE: Adam Schiff was not always a successful politician. In his first race for the California State Assembly, he got creamed… KARL THURMOND: We were terribly naive (laughter) – I mean terribly naive. JAFFE: …Says Schiff’s longtime close friend and current campaign finance co-chair Karl Thurmond. THURMOND: But we learned a lot. That’s where Adam cut his teeth. JAFFE: Thurmond and Schiff became friends at Harvard Law School. When they both moved to LA, they went for long runs together, even trained for a… Read More »Karl Thurmond Weighs In On How Rep. Adam Schiff Got To A Place Where He’s Leading The Impeachment Inquiry