A leading progressive organization came out today against Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) Senate run, saying he “undermined accountability” for former-President Donald Trump.
Within an hour after Schiff announced his campaign, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) blasted him for his role in the Trump impeachment hearings.
Schiff has been a prominent figure in Democratic efforts to investigate Trump. The party is currently battling new Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)’s decision to block Schiff from rejoining the intelligence committee in retaliation.
Schiff’s opponent in the California Senate race, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), has won a progressive following for holding corporate power accountable in congressional hearings, often with her signature whiteboard at hand.
But PCCC Co-Founder Adam Green told TYT that Schiff used the media to take credit for leading efforts to hold Trump accountable when he was actually trying to slow things up behind the scenes. Schiff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Schiff was slow to get it on impeachment, and then he jumped on stage and in front of the TV cameras to claim a bunch of the credit,” Green told TYT. “Voters want somebody who's actually bold, whether it's fighting Trumpism in a swing district like Katie Porter is, or cracking down on corporate misdeeds, and that person is clearly not Adam Schiff, it's Katie Porter.”.
The PCCC endorsed Porter almost instantly after she announced her bid to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who is expected to retire.
In a statement this afternoon, Green pointed to anecdotes in the new book "Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump," which reportedly “details Rep. Schiff’s efforts to stall, stifle, and undermine Trump accountability from Congress.”
In his statement, Green says, in part:
“Schiff plays the role of Trump antagonist on TV, but a recent book details how he stalled and undermined leaders trying to hold Trump accountable in Congress — and he never challenges corporations or the Democratic establishment.”
Referring to Porter’s narrow re-election win, running as a progressive in a Republican-leaning region, Green said, “Katie Porter wins a red district by challenging Trumpism, but also holding accountable corporations that cheat Americans at the pump and grocery store."
Green told TYT that Schiff was “currying the favor” of cautious moderate Democrats who thought voters would oppose efforts to hold Trump accountable, which he says was disproven in the 2022 elections, where Democrats did better than many centrist pundits predicted.
Green said that Schiff “was pretty much caballing with some of the more cautious moderate Democrats who didn't want to hold Trump accountable, against the more bold leaders like [Democratic Representatives] Jerry Nadler [NY], Jamie Raskin [MD], Joe Neguse [CO], David Ciccilline [RI], and Ted Lieu [CA], who were advocating for impeachment.”
According to Green, the book shows that Schiff “really is not the anti-Trump hero that is his singular calling card.”
And, Green says, the issue with Schiff is a proxy for progressive concerns about a lack of boldness within the Democratic party overall.
“The bottom line is, behind the scenes, if there's a corporate accountability moment, he’ll likely be undermining [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren [D-MA] and other progressives,” Green claimed. “If there's a Trump or Republican accountability moment where there's an actual debate behind the scenes, he'll likely not be on the right side of that in the earlier stages, and Katie Porter consistently will be bold. That's her thing.”
TYT Washington Correspondent Candice Cole was previously a correspondent and senior White House producer for the Black News Channel and has worked at a number of local news outlets. You can find her on Twitter @CandiceColeNews.