Adam Schiff, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator for California. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford and a law degree from Harvard, and worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, notably prosecuting the first FBI agent ever indicted for spying for the Soviet Union. He served in the California State Senate from 1996 to 2000 and represented California in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2025, chairing the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and serving on the House January 6th Select Committee and the Benghazi Select Committee. Governor Newsom appointed him to the Senate in December 2024 to complete Dianne Feinstein’s term after Schiff had already won the November 2024 general election outright, and he was sworn in for a full six-year term in January 2025. He serves on the Judiciary, Agriculture, Environment and Public Works, and Small Business committees.
As chair of the House Intelligence Committee during the Trump-Russia investigation, Schiff became a lead figure in the 2019-2020 impeachment of President Trump over allegations related to Ukraine, serving as lead House manager. In June 2023, the Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to censure him, accusing him of “falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuses of sensitive information” regarding Trump-Russia collusion claims; reporting also found his committee staff had contact with the Ukraine whistleblower before the whistleblower complaint was filed, which conflicted with an on-air statement Schiff made denying direct contact. Separately, Trump has alleged Schiff committed mortgage fraud by declaring a Maryland home as his primary residence while representing a California district, in order to obtain favorable loan terms; the allegation remains disputed and unresolved, with no public confirmation of wrongdoing.
