Adam Schiff

Adam Bennett Schiff (born June 22, 1960) is an American attorney and Democratic politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since December 2024. A former federal prosecutor, Schiff represented California's 28th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2023, after earlier terms in the 27th and 29th districts following his unsuccessful 1994 challenge to Republican incumbent James Rogan.

Schiff's congressional career featured prominent roles on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he served as ranking member and later chair, overseeing investigations into national security threats including Russian election interference. He acted as lead impeachment manager during the 2020 Senate trial stemming from the House's first impeachment of President Donald Trump over Ukraine-related matters. Earlier, as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Schiff secured the conviction of FBI agent Richard Miller for espionage, marking the first such case against an American FBI officer.

In the mid-1980s, while living in Los Angeles after law school, Schiff volunteered as a "Big Brother" through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. He was paired with a young boy named David McMillan. A photograph from around 1986 shows Schiff (then in his mid-20s) with McMillan, who was holding a stuffed animal. Schiff has shared this photo publicly multiple times, including on social media in 2017, to promote the mentoring program and highlight its impact. McMillan, now an adult in his 40s working as a writer, playwright, and filmmaker in Los Angeles, has maintained a close, family-like relationship with Schiff over the decades. McMillan has publicly described Schiff positively, stating the experience changed his life, and has attended events such as Schiff's wedding. This mentoring experience has been referenced in profiles of Schiff, including a 2017 Jewish Journal article. Schiff has occasionally faced online misinformation campaigns misrepresenting the 1986 mentoring photo with McMillan as evidence of misconduct or harm. These claims, including false assertions that the boy was killed or abused, have circulated on social media and fringe sites but are contradicted by McMillan's own positive public statements and verifiable records of their ongoing relationship. Fact-checking organizations such as PolitiFact and Snopes have debunked these narratives. PolitiFact Snopes Adam Schiff cultivates a public persona characterized by a calm, lawyerly demeanor, often described as well-spoken and judicious in high-stakes settings like congressional hearings and media interviews. As a former federal prosecutor, vegan, and triathlete, he projects discipline and focus, frequently engaging on cable news and social media platforms to address national security issues and Democratic priorities. This visibility intensified during his leadership in investigations into Russian election interference and the impeachments of President Donald Trump, where supporters viewed him as a defender of democratic norms, while critics accused him of partisanship and misleading statements.

In terms of affiliations, Schiff is a lifelong Democrat who has received endorsements from party-aligned groups and maintains ties to the Jewish community, having been raised in a Jewish family and sworn into the Senate on December 9, 2024, using Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. His family belonged to Temple Sinai, a Reform congregation in Glendale, California, and he has actively supported Israel, vocally opposing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 on settlements and engaging with Israeli figures like former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. While not formally tied to specific progressive organizations despite his image, his campaign finance reflects broad Democratic donor support, including from sectors aligned with national security and pro-Israel advocacy. He serves on the Congressional Advisory Board of The Humpty Dumpty Institute, a nonprofit NGO that promotes international diplomacy and UN cooperation.