Adam Schiff criticizes ‘performative’ Judiciary Committee
Cami Mondeaux
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) lamented his new role on the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, calling the panel’s work mostly “performative” that strays from its intended purpose.
Schiff was placed on the Judiciary Committee earlier this year, placing him under the leadership of Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) after Republicans took control of the House. Schiff criticized the committee’s work under Jordan’s leadership, arguing GOP lawmakers often use its influence to push their own narratives.
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“The members are often not even interested in what the witnesses have to say, talking over each other,” Schiff said during an event at Harvard Kennedy School on Tuesday. “And so, the oversight is of a very different character — in some respects, it really can’t be called oversight because that’s not the primary purpose.”
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have ushered in a number of priorities they want to focus on over the next two years, opening several investigations into the Biden administration and the president’s conduct. The panel has largely focused on what it considers to be the “weaponization” of the federal government, holding a number of hearings on the censorship and mistreatment of conservative voices.
Schiff compared his judiciary role to his time as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, where the California Democrat spent much of his time focusing on national security and led the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump. Schiff was later removed from that committee by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy shortly after Republicans took control of the lower chamber.
Schiff’s comments come as Republicans on the Judiciary Committee prepare to hold a field hearing next week focused on violent crime in New York City. Although Democrats have typically skipped GOP-led field hearings as a way of protest, members on the panel say they plan to attend and hold a counter-response.
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The field hearing is the latest retaliation from House Republicans against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment of Trump after the latter was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records earlier this month. Republicans have decried the charges as being politically motivated, vowing to investigate Bragg and his office.
Democrats are planning to hold a separate news conference ahead of the hearing that will feature top city officials. During that conference, Democrats will target GOP lawmakers on their refusal to act on gun violence, arguing that much of the city’s crime can be tied to firearms.