Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California announced on Thursday that he is running for U.S. Senate.
Schiff, who has served in the House for more than two decades, had previously said that he would seriously consider a Senate bid if Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) retires and that he was seriously considering a Senate run. According to CNN, Feinstein has filed reelection paperwork with the Federal Election Commission but has not announced whether she will run again in 2024 — the senator will turn 90 years old later this year.
“I’ve always believed that what’s right matters, that the truth matters, and that decency matters,” Schiff said in a campaign video. “Today’s Republican Party is gutting the middle class, threatening our democracy,” Schiff claimed. “We have to stop them. That’s why I’m running for the U.S. Senate.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) rejected the appointments of Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to sit on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a panel on which the two Democrats had previously served and which Schiff had previously chaired.
“I knew today would be a great day to launch my campaign for Senate. For a lot of reasons. Including this one: Happy birthday, Kevin McCarthy. I’m running to be your next U.S. Senator!” Schiff tweeted on Thursday.
Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and then as secretary of state during Donald Trump’s presidential tenure, claimed during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered” that he knows Schiff has leaked classified information. Pompeo, who has indicated that he is mulling the possibility of a presidential bid, said that when information was supplied to Schiff and his staff, it showed up in places it should not have “with alarming regularity.”
“Let’s be clear: Adam Schiff should be nowhere near the Intelligence Committee,” Pompeo tweeted.
“Let’s be clear: I don’t back down from bullies,” Schiff responded.
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