WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Democrat stood on the Senate floor almost five years ago as a House impeachment manager and made a that Donald Trump should be removed from office for abusing the power of the presidency. 鈥淚f right doesn鈥檛 matter, we鈥檙e lost,鈥� he told the senators, his voice cracking at one point.
The Republican-led Senate wasn鈥檛 convinced, and senators Trump on the Democratic-led impeachment charges over his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump would survive a a year later after his supporters stormed the Capitol and tried to overturn his defeat.
Now Trump is to the White House, politically stronger than ever and with a firm hold over what will be a Republican Congress. And Schiff, one of Trump鈥檚 biggest foils, was 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.
As California鈥檚 , Schiff says he鈥檚 not going to shy away from familiar territory 鈥� opposing Trump when he feels it necessary. But he鈥檚 also hoping to be known for bipartisanship, as well, after campaigning in Republican areas of his state and working to learn more about rural issues that weren鈥檛 in his portfolio in his urban Los Angeles House district.
鈥淚 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,鈥� Schiff said of the conservative news channel鈥檚 focus on him as he challenged Trump in his first term. He says he also sees that outreach as a way to gain insight into Democrats鈥� way forward after losses in the November elections.
Schiff was 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 . He is entering the Senate alongside Democratic House colleague of New Jersey, who is filling the term of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez after he was on federal bribery charges and .
Bipartisanship was important to Feinstein, who often worked across the aisle and developed close relationships with other senators. But her work with Republicans also drew frequent criticism from California鈥檚 liberal voters.
Feinstein 鈥渨as able to do a couple things simultaneously, which I鈥檓 going to need to try to do as well, and that is work with others to deliver for the state, work across party lines to get things done, and at the same time, stand up and defend people鈥檚 rights and their freedom and their values when those things are threatened,鈥� Schiff told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of his swearing-in.
He says those priorities will frequently be at odds in the era of Trump, 鈥渁nd so I鈥檒l have to try to do both.鈥�
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who has spent time with Schiff as he prepares to enter the Senate, says he thinks Schiff has the 鈥渞ight approach鈥� in asking questions of other senators and refraining from 鈥渙pining at every opportunity.鈥�
鈥淓verybody understands his capabilities, but he also understands that he鈥檚 a freshman,鈥� Schatz says, and it鈥檚 appreciated when 鈥渟omeone of his stature understands that he鈥檚 joining a team here.鈥�
Still, Schiff, who was by House Republicans last year for his involvement in investigations into Trump鈥檚 ties to Russia, won鈥檛 be able immediately to shake his longtime role as a chief Trump antagonist. The former House Intelligence Committee chairman is more well-known than most of his fellow incoming freshmen, and he has been calling Trump out on social media in recent weeks and criticizing some of his Cabinet nominees as many of his fellow Democrats have chosen to remain quiet.
Schiff posted on X last week that FBI director nominee , a former GOP staffer on the House intelligence panel, is 鈥渕ore suited as internet troll than FBI Director鈥� and the 鈥淪enate must reject him.鈥�
He could become part of the story as well as Trump has vowed revenge on people he views as his political enemies. President Joe Biden has preemptive pardons for aides and allies like Schiff who tried to hold Trump accountable for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump once suggested Schiff should be arrested for treason and has called him an 鈥渆nemy from within.鈥�
Schiff, though, says he doesn鈥檛 think that鈥檚 necessary. He said Biden shouldn鈥檛 use his remaining days in office to defend him or any others who are in Trump鈥檚 crosshairs.
And the former prosecutor has long experience in defending himself from Republican attacks. After the House censure, which happened when fellow California Rep. Kevin McCarthy was speaker and Schiff was already running for Feinstein鈥檚 Senate seat, Schiff traveled to McCarthy鈥檚 district and met with local leaders. When a conservative news outlet there asked him what he thought of McCarthy calling him a liar, 鈥淚 responded something along the lines of, well, coming from Kevin, I鈥檓 sure he means that as some form of a compliment,鈥� Schiff said.
Schiff is unlikely similarly to go after his colleagues in the Senate, which he says 鈥渋s a very different place culturally than the House.鈥� He鈥檚 already tried to make inroads with Republicans, including incoming Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, whom he has talked to about working together on wildfire legislation important to both of their states.
And he could possibly win some grudging respect from more veteran Senate Republicans, some of whom praised him during the 2020 impeachment trial even as they vehemently disagreed with his premise and voted not to convict Trump.
After the first day of arguments, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham shook his hand and told him he was doing a good job. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who Senate majority leader next year, said at the time that Schiff 鈥渨as passionate and his case has been well articulated.鈥�
Schiff said he got the sense that some Republican senators 鈥渨ere a bit surprised that I wasn鈥檛 this caricature,鈥� and also that the Senate is a more collegial place than the House.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it was a hurtful introduction,鈥� he said.
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