Adam Schiff to Take Office Monday, Not in January, After Newsom Makes Power Play to Help California
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) will become Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Monday, December 9, after current Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) resigned abruptly, allowing California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to appoint Schiff early.
The gambit, while technically legal, is an evident attempt by California to gain an edge in the Senate by giving Schiff seniority over newly-elected Senators from other states, who will only be sworn into their offices on January 3, 2025.
Newsom’s office said in a statement:
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Senator-elect Adam Schiff to complete the remaining U.S. Senate term of Senator Laphonza Butler following her resignation.
Senator Butler announced her resignation effective December 8, 2024, to ensure Californians have their duly elected representative seated as soon as possible. Senator-elect Schiff, who won election to a full term beginning in January, is expected to be sworn in on Monday, December 9, 2024.
Newsom appointed Butler after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) died in office last year. Some black Democrats were furious with him for not appointing Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who was running for Senate at the time against Schiff.
Once again, Schiff’s rise has meant that a black woman has had to step aside, which is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Schiff was in the news Sunday for another reason: President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News that he believes all of the members of the January 6 Committee — including Schiff — should be in jail for their abuses of civil liberties.
Schiff responded:
Schiff is deeply loathed by Republicans, including many in the Senate who voted against his effort to remove then-President Donald Trump from office during the first impeachment. He is not particularly popular in California, either, but is a very successful fundraiser, and excels and political gamesmanship.
In 2024, Schiff paid for advertising that boosted his Republican opponent, Dodger great Steve Garvey, so that he would finish second in the “jungle” primary and advance to the general election instead of a Democrat who might have been a stronger opponent.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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