Adam Schiff

Adam Schiff
Born	Adam Bennett Schiff 22 6, 1960
Birthplace	Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Title	United States Senator from California
Known for	Lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump; Chair of the House Intelligence Committee (2019–2023)
Education	Stanford University (BA) Harvard University (JD)
Children	2
Website	[https://www.schiff.senate.gov Official site]

Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since December 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Schiff previously represented California in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2024, and before that served in the California State Senate from 1996 to 2000. Before entering elected office, he worked as a federal prosecutor, serving as an assistant United States attorney from 1987 to 1993. Schiff rose to national prominence through his work on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which he chaired from 2019 to 2023, and as the lead impeachment manager during the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in 2020. In 2024, Schiff won election to the United States Senate, succeeding Laphonza Butler, after defeating fellow Democratic representatives Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in the primary election and Republican Steve Garvey in the general election. Since taking office in the Senate, Schiff has remained an outspoken critic of the Trump administration on issues ranging from constitutional governance to federal spending priorities.

Early Life

Adam Bennett Schiff was born on June 22, 1960, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He grew up in a family that would later relocate, and Schiff spent formative years in both the northeastern and western United States. Details of his family background and upbringing in Framingham reflect a middle-class New England environment. He eventually settled in California, which became the state he would represent for the entirety of his political career.

Schiff has spoken publicly about elements of his early life that shaped his interest in law and public service, though comprehensive accounts of his childhood remain limited in publicly available reporting. What is well documented is that by the time he reached college age, Schiff pursued an education at elite institutions that prepared him for careers in both law and government.

Education

Schiff attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently enrolled at Harvard Law School, from which he received his Juris Doctor degree. His education at two of the nation's most competitive universities positioned him for a career in federal law enforcement and, eventually, elective politics.

Career

Early Legal Career

After completing his legal education at Harvard, Schiff began his professional career in the federal legal system. He served as a law clerk before becoming an assistant United States attorney, a position he held from 1987 to 1993. In this role, Schiff was involved in federal prosecution work. One of his notable cases as a federal prosecutor involved the prosecution of Richard Miller, an FBI agent convicted of espionage for passing classified information to the Soviet Union. The case brought Schiff a degree of public attention even before he entered politics.

California State Senate (1996–2000)

Schiff's first attempt at elected office came in 1994, when he ran unsuccessfully for the California State Assembly. Undeterred by the loss, he ran for the California State Senate two years later and won election to represent the 21st district, succeeding Newton Russell. He served in the state senate from December 2, 1996, to November 30, 2000. During his tenure in Sacramento, Schiff focused on issues related to public safety and criminal justice, drawing upon his experience as a federal prosecutor. His seat in the state senate was later filled by Jack Scott upon Schiff's departure.

United States House of Representatives (2001–2024)

Election to Congress

In 2000, Schiff ran for the United States House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Republican James E. Rogan in what became one of the most expensive and closely watched congressional races in the country that cycle. Rogan had gained national attention as one of the House managers during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, and the race was seen as a referendum on that impeachment effort. Schiff won the election and took office on January 3, 2001, representing a district that encompassed portions of the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Schiff was subsequently reelected numerous times, often by wide margins. In 2012, he won reelection handily, as did other incumbents in the region. In 2014, he again secured an easy victory in his congressional race. Over the course of his House tenure, his district boundaries shifted through several rounds of redistricting, but consistently included communities in and around Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and portions of Hollywood and West Hollywood.

Foreign Affairs and Armenian Genocide Recognition

Schiff served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he took a particular interest in human rights issues and international relations. One of his signature legislative efforts was the push for formal United States recognition of the Armenian genocide. Schiff introduced and advocated for resolutions calling on the U.S. government to officially recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide. His district included a significant Armenian-American population, particularly in the Glendale and Burbank areas. The issue generated significant diplomatic tension, with Turkey strongly opposing such recognition. In 2007, a resolution on the Armenian genocide advanced through committee, drawing international attention and opposition from the Turkish government. In 2010, the issue continued to be a point of legislative contention.

National Security and the Authorization for Use of Military Force

Schiff was active on matters of national security policy, including efforts to reform the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), the broad congressional authorization passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks that successive administrations used to justify military operations in multiple countries. Schiff introduced legislation aimed at repealing and replacing the AUMF, arguing that the open-ended authorization had been stretched well beyond its original intent and that Congress needed to reassert its constitutional war powers.

Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act

Schiff was involved in the passage of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, named after Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. The legislation, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama, required the Department of State to expand its annual reporting on the state of press freedom worldwide.

Benghazi Select Committee

In 2014, Schiff was appointed by House Democratic leadership to serve on the Select Committee on Benghazi, which was established to investigate the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Schiff served as a vocal member of the committee, frequently questioning whether the investigation was motivated by partisan considerations. He appeared in national media to discuss the committee's work and direction.

House Intelligence Committee

Schiff joined the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2008 and became the committee's ranking Democratic member in January 2015, succeeding Dutch Ruppersberger. When Democrats won control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections, Schiff became chairman of the committee in January 2019, succeeding Republican Devin Nunes.

As chairman, Schiff oversaw the committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and alleged connections between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The committee's work brought Schiff into frequent public conflict with President Trump and Republican members of the committee. Schiff's tenure as chairman coincided with one of the most politically charged periods in the committee's history.

In January 2023, following the Republican takeover of the House after the 2022 midterm elections, newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy removed Schiff from the Intelligence Committee. The removal was seen as a retaliatory action related to Schiff's role in the Trump impeachment proceedings and the January 6 investigations. Schiff was succeeded as chairman by Republican Mike Turner.

Impeachment Manager

Schiff served as the lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in early 2020. In this role, he functioned as the chief prosecutor presenting the House's case to the Senate. The impeachment centered on Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Schiff's performance during the Senate trial drew significant national attention and both praise and criticism along partisan lines. Prior to the Trump impeachment, Schiff had served as the joint-lead impeachment manager in two separate judicial impeachment trials, giving him experience with the impeachment process before taking on the highest-profile case of his career.

Local Issues and Community Engagement

In addition to his work on national and international issues, Schiff addressed local concerns in his district. He was involved in efforts to address helicopter noise in the Los Angeles area, reintroducing legislation to regulate helicopter flight paths over residential neighborhoods. The Federal Aviation Administration later moved to create a public complaint system for helicopter noise, an issue that had been a persistent concern for residents in Schiff's district.

United States Senate (2024–present)

2024 Senate Campaign

In 2024, Schiff ran for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Dianne Feinstein, who died in office in September 2023 and was temporarily succeeded by the appointed senator Laphonza Butler. The race featured a competitive Democratic primary in which Schiff faced fellow Democratic U.S. representatives Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, among other candidates. Under California's top-two primary system, Schiff advanced to the general election alongside Republican Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player. Schiff defeated Garvey in the November 2024 general election.

Appointment and Swearing In

On December 8, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Schiff to the Senate to complete the remaining days of the term ahead of his full elected service, which allowed him to begin accruing seniority slightly earlier. Schiff was officially seated on December 9, 2024, succeeding Laphonza Butler. He serves alongside California's senior senator, Alex Padilla.

Senate Tenure

Since joining the Senate, Schiff has continued to be a prominent critic of the Trump administration. In February 2026, Schiff announced he would boycott President Trump's State of the Union address, the first time in his career that he would skip the annual speech. Schiff said he planned instead to participate in an alternative event described as the "People's State of the Union."

Schiff has also been involved in discussions about federal health care spending. In early 2026, he and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi publicly discussed the implications of $600 million in cuts to health care grants in San Francisco, criticizing the Trump administration's approach to federal health spending.

In 2026, reports indicated that Schiff had established a legal defense fund, which raised $1.2 million in its early stages, to defend against legal threats from President Trump. Schiff has publicly stated his view that public opinion has shifted against the Trump administration, citing polling data.

Personal Life

Schiff has two children. He resides in California, where he has been based throughout his political career. Outside of his legislative work, Schiff has participated in athletic and charitable endeavors, including long-distance cycling. In 2014, he participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a multi-day charity cycling event that raises funds for HIV/AIDS-related services. Schiff has also been noted as an avid participant in endurance sports, including triathlons. He has also completed charity rides, including one from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

A member of the community in the greater Los Angeles area for decades, Schiff has represented neighborhoods including Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, and West Hollywood.

Recognition

Schiff's role as lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of President Trump in 2020 brought him significant national recognition within the Democratic Party and among critics of the Trump administration. His tenure as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2019 to 2023 placed him at the center of several of the most consequential congressional investigations of the era, including probes into Russian election interference and the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.

Schiff's election to the United States Senate in 2024 was considered a significant political achievement within the California Democratic establishment, given the competitive nature of the primary, which featured multiple well-known Democratic officeholders.

His work on the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act and his sustained advocacy for Armenian genocide recognition have been cited as notable legislative accomplishments during his time in the House.

Legacy

Schiff's career spans more than three decades of public service, from federal prosecution to state and national legislative office. His trajectory from assistant U.S. attorney to United States senator reflects a career built at the intersection of law, national security, and partisan politics. His role in the Trump impeachment proceedings made him one of the most recognizable members of Congress in the early 21st century and a central figure in Democratic efforts to provide oversight of the Trump administration.

As a legislator, Schiff's sustained advocacy for Armenian genocide recognition, press freedom legislation, and reform of the Authorization for Use of Military Force represent a legislative record focused on human rights and the reassertion of congressional authority in foreign policy and national security matters. His transition from the House to the Senate in 2024 continued a pattern of California Democrats holding prominent positions in national politics.

Schiff's ongoing legal and political confrontations with the Trump administration, including the establishment of a legal defense fund, position him as one of the most visible Democratic voices of opposition in the Senate during the second Trump presidency.