Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pledged Monday to “vigorously push back” against President-elect Donald Trump’s second term agenda, just hours after Congress certified Trump’s 2024 electoral victory.
In his interview on CNN’s “January 6th: Congress Certifies the Election” special, Schiff implied that Democratic Party leaders were already prepared to start the impeachmeant of Trump for a third time… before he even takes office.
Schiff served as the Democrats’ House of Representatives lead prosecutor in their two impeachment efforts during Trump’s first term in office.
When asked if he would prioritizes legislative efforts over investigations into Trump, Schiff vowed to “fight” the Republican president every step of the way.
“If he violates the law, if he violates the Constitution, if he abuses his office, we will vigorously push back, fight back, stand up to him, as we had to do during his first term in office,” Schiff said.
The California Democrat made his remarks two weeks before Trump’s inauguration.
“We keep a focus on trying to get positive affirmative things done for the country,” Schiff said. “But a lot will depend on how he chooses to govern.”
During the same CNN appearance, Schiff also dismissed speculation about President Joe Biden issuing preemptive pardons for January 6 committee members.
“It would be the wrong precedent to set. I don’t want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving out a broad category of pardons,” Schiff said.
Addressing concerns about potential investigations by the incoming administration, Schiff defended the January 6 committee’s work in their investigation into the 2021 Capitol riot.
“Those of us that were on the Jan. 6 committee who [President-elect Trump] has put in the crosshairs, we’re all enormously proud of the work that we did. We stand by it. We feel we have the protection of the Speech and Debate Clause,” he said.
Trump previously suggested to NBC News’s Kristen Welker that while he wouldn’t specifically order appointees to target political enemies, he referenced possible prosecution of January 6 committee members.
The president-elect has also promised to give pardons to some January 6 convicts early in his second term, if their prosecution was deemed overzealous.
Congress certified Trump’s victory Monday with no objections from lawmakers, formally confirming his win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Schiff’s prior role in Trump’s first impeachment ended with Senate acquittal in February 2020, when all Republicans except Utah Sen. Mitt Romney voted to clear Trump of abuse of power charges.
The White House and Trump transition team have not responded to Schiff’s statements.