Checkmate for Democrats? Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., reportedly “freaked out” over the weekend to both President-elect Donald Trump’s administration nominations, setting up early confrontations over the presidential transition.
Schiff also blasted the administration of President Joe Biden and their plans to issue blanket pardons to political allies to avoid investigations by the incoming Trump administration.
“The precedent of giving blanket pardons, preemptive blanket pardons on the way out of an administration, I think, is a precedent we don’t want to set,” Schiff told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
Schiff’s biggest “freak out” came over Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI Director, according to critics.
“I think if Patel is the director of the FBI, then all bets are off,” Schiff said. “And that is, you rise to the level of your sycophancy. The bigger the sycophant, the higher you rise.”
Republicans have repeatedly defended Patel’s qualifications from Democratic leaderships attacks.
“This guy served as deputy chief of staff at the Department of Defense, he was a deputy at DNI, a prosecutor, and public defender,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-M.O., said. Twenty-three state Attorneys General have signed a letter supporting his confirmation.
Critics pointed to Schiff’s own controversial statements about Trump and his censure by House colleagues over years of Russia collusion claims and investigations
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray announced his resignation last week following Trump’s nomination of Patel.
Trump has promised investigations of politicians that may have broken the law under the Biden administration, including Jan. 6 committee members, saying they “should go to jail” if they committed illegal activity.
Schiff, who managed Trump’s first impeachment and served on the Jan. 6 committee, maintains their work was “vital, quintessential oversight” and said he would refuse any preemptive pardon.