Adam in the News
Top Dem: 'Our airport defenses are inadequate’ (The Hill)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday the nation's airports remain vulnerable to violence following last week's terrorist attacks in Paris. "If there was one vulnerability I would say we ought to focus on, it ought to be the airports," he said on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports." "I still believe that our airport defenses are inadequate," Schiff continued. "It still distresses me greatly that when we test the TSA, they largely fail those tests. "In the immediate aftermath of … Continue Reading
November 17, 2015
House Republicans push for ‘pause’ to Syrian refugee program (Washington Post)
With Republican presidential candidates and GOP governors sounding an increasingly strident alarm about the program to admit Syrian refugees into the country, House Speaker Paul Ryan today announced that he would seek a "pause" in the program. However, the House GOP leadership is ruling out any kind of changes to the program that would prohibit the entry of Muslim Syrian refugees in particular, which is something that Senator Ted Cruz has pushed for. "There will be no religious test, … Continue Reading
November 17, 2015
Call to Arms in France Amid Hunt for Belgian Suspect in Paris Attacks (New York Times)
PARIS - President François Hollande of Francecalled on Monday for constitutional amendments to fight potential terrorists at home and for an aggressive effort to "eradicate" the Islamic State abroad. His call to arms - "France is at war," he said at the opening of his remarks to a joint session of Parliament - came as security forces in France and Belgium zeroed in on a suspect they said was the architect of the assault that killed 129 people Friday night in Paris. The suspect, a … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Paris Attacks Renew U.S. Call to Access Encrypted Communications (Bloomberg)
(Bloomberg) -- The bloodshed in Paris led U.S. officials Monday to renew calls for limits on technology that prevents governments from spying on phone conversations, text messages and e-mails. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat, said she's asked Silicon Valley companies to help law enforcement and intelligence agencies access communications that have been encrypted -- or scrambled to evade surveillance -- if terrorists are using the tools to plan attacks. "I have asked for … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Republican lawmakers looking for ways to shut out Syrian refugees after Paris attacks (Washington Post)
The Paris terror attacks have inspired a backlash against Syrian refugees in Congress, with several Republican lawmakers seeking to enforce a moratorium on entrance to the United States by whatever means necessary. "I call on you to temporarily suspend the admission of all additional Syrian refugees into the United States pending a full review of the Syrian refugee resettlement program," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) wrote in a letter to President Obama … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Paris attacks 'likely directed and equipped' from Syria: US lawmaker (Agence France Press)
The attacks in Paris were likely directed and equipped from Syria, a US lawmaker said Sunday, warning it was a consequence of allowing Islamic State a sanctuary "with too much time to plan and plot." "And unless that changes strategically, we can expect more attacks like this," said Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. His comments on ABC's "This Week" come amid growing questions about a US-led strategy that has relied on air strikes to try to roll back IS … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Obama under pressure to intensify fight against Islamic State after Paris attacks (Los Angeles Times)
The deadly Paris attacks are putting pressure on President Obama to confront Islamic State militants more aggressively than he has been willing to consider in the past, opening a difficult deliberation for a leader who has tried to build a legacy on ending America's wars, not extending them. On Sunday, Obama pledged to "redouble our efforts" to fight international terrorism after the brutal bombings and shootings that killed at least 129 people in the French capital. Obama mentioned … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Rep. Schiff Adds Insight Into The Origin Of The Paris Attacks (NPR Morning Edition)
Steve Inskeep talks to Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, about what is known concerning the Friday night attacks in Paris, which are blamed on … Continue Reading
November 16, 2015
Top Dem: Destroy ‘sanctuary’ for ISIS overseas (The Hill)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) admitted Monday that eliminating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) requires re-capturing its physical territories. "Ultimately, it is going to require us to eliminate that sanctuary in Iraq and Syria," he told host Steve Inskeep on NPR's "Morning Edition." "As long as that sanctuary exists for ISIS, they will continue to attack us," said Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "The longer they hold ground the longer we're at … Continue Reading
November 14, 2015
Paris Terror Attacks May Prompt More Aggressive U.S. Strategy on ISIS (New York Times)
WASHINGTON - When the Islamic Statestormed onto the scene in Syria and Iraq, it seemed focused on seizing territory in its own neighborhood. But in the last two weeks, the so-called soldiers of the caliphate appear to have demonstrated a chilling reach, with terrorist attacks against Russia, in Lebanon and now in France. The seemingly synchronized assaults that turned Paris into a war zone on Friday came just days after a bombing targeted a Shiite district of Beirut controlled by Iran's ally, … Continue Reading
October 23, 2015
The Benghazi committee stumbles into irrelevance (Washington Post)
The House Select Committee on Blumenthal, as some are now calling it, came to order at 10 a.m. Lawmakers didn't finish questioning Hillary Clinton until 11 hours later - just after the Democratic presidential candidate succumbed to a coughing fit. In that period of time, the name of Sidney Blumenthal was invoked more than 75 times, and scores of questions were asked about the longtime Clinton friend. By lunchtime, Blumenthal had been invoked 49 times - exactly the number of mentions of … Continue Reading
October 23, 2015
California Democrat Still Questions Motive Behind Benghazi Investigation (National Public Radio)
Rep. Adam Schiff reacts to Hillary Clinton's testimony before a House committee investigating the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: It was a marathon. Hillary Clinton testified for 11 hours about the attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, in Benghazi, Libya. Republicans accused Clinton of putting politics before the truth and misleading the public about what prompted the … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
A Hearing, and a House, as Divided as the Country Watching It (New York Times)
WASHINGTON - There were accusations by Republicans of a State Department cover-up. There were critiques by Democrats that the other side had spread conspiracy theories about the 2012 attack on the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya, for political gain. And in the middle of it, there was Hillary Rodham Clinton, looking at her notes. "I can pause while you're reading your notes from your staff," Representative Peter Roskam, Republican of Illinois, said as he questioned Mrs. Clinton … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Gowdy and Cummings Go Ballistic During Benghazi Hearing (The Daily Beast)
During the third hour of the Benghazi hearing today, the committee's Republican Chairman Trey Gowdy and Democratic leader Rep. Elijah Cummings got into a heated exchange over the release of the entirety of former Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal's emails and private testimony. "Why is it you only want Blumenthal's transcript released?" Gowdy yelled at Cummings. "I'd like all of them released," Cummings screamed back, continuing the Democrats' criticism of selectivity on the part of the … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Benghazi committee hearings give California lawmakers a rare chance to shine (Los Angeles Times)
While all eyes were on Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday as she testified before the House Benghazi committee, two California Democrats played a prominent supporting role during the proceedings. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier) used their time during more than eight hours of testimony to accuse the commitee's Republican leadership of going after Clinton for political motivations - an issue that has earned national headlines for weeks. "The reality is that … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Benghazi hearing ends after extraordinary 11-hour grilling of Clinton (Los Angeles Times)
Republicans grilled former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton through nearly 11 hours Thursday in a long-awaited hearing of the House Benghazi committee that produced little if any new information, but ample partisan argument. The hearing provided an extraordinary spectacle, starting in the morning and stretching well into the night, far longer than such sessions typically last even with multiple witnesses. Through the lengthy session, Clinton maintained a relentlessly calm and … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Clinton: 'I've lost more sleep than all of you put together' over Benghazi (Los Angeles Times)
You might call it a softball from Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank). After the California congressman issued a scathing assessment of a committee he said has proven to be a "partisan exercise," Schiff turned to ask Clinton a friendly question on the stated purpose of the inquiry into the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. "I know the ambassador was a friend of yours, and I wonder if you would like to comment on what it's like to be the … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Hillary Clinton Confronts Republican Critics at Benghazi Hearing (New York Times)
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton confronted Republican critics on the House Benghazi committee on Thursday with a challenge to "reach for statesmanship" in their long-running inquiry into the 2012 attacks that killed four Americans. Testifying in the ornate and cavernous assembly room that is home to the House Ways and Means Committee, Mrs. Clinton hailed the memory of J. Christopher Stevens, the ambassador to Libya, and the three others who died at the American diplomatic mission in … Continue Reading
October 22, 2015
Hillary Clinton takes on the House Benghazi committee in political showdown (Los Angeles Times)
Hillary Rodham Clinton won't be campaigning Thursday, but her performance will be critical to her presidential run, as she spends the entire day sparring with a congressional panel that has proved one of the biggest threats to her White House bid. The House Select Committee on Benghazi will fire hour upon hour of questions at Clinton about her handling of the attacks in the Libyan city in September 2012, while she was secretary of State. The violence that killed Ambassador J. Christopher … Continue Reading
October 21, 2015
Benghazi Panel to Focus on Attack, Not Hillary Clinton Emails, Republicans Say (Wall Street Journal)
WASHINGTON-The House Committee on Benghazi will focus its long-awaited questioning of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on details of the 2012 attack on a Libyan diplomatic outpost, rather than on Mrs. Clinton's email arrangements, Republicans said this week. The panel's hand has been forced by recent suggestions, including by some Republicans, that the committee's motivations are chiefly political. That has shifted the dynamics of Thursday's high-profile hearing, with Republicans … Continue Reading