Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he is “not going to be intimidated” by President-elect Trump as concerns grow over if the next administration will go after Trump’s enemy list.
“Look, I’m not going to be intimidated by anything he says, by anything he does,” Schiff said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Schiff, a current California representative, is on Trump’s list after he played a key role in his first impeachment trial. Trump has vowed for revenge and faces few limitations with loyal Republicans nominated to his cabinet and the GOP in control of both the House and Senate.
“I’m going to do my responsibility in this Senate. Californians are expecting me, first and foremost, to try to work and get things done,” he said, adding, “where the President wants to engage in unconstitutional abuses of power, just as he did in the first administration, I will defend our state.”
His comments on the topic Sunday mark a shift from earlier this year.
In July, Schiff said he is “of course” concerned about Trump’s personal threats against him, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling that found presidents have absolute immunity for actions within their official responsibilities.
Either way, Schiff argued Sunday that he has a duty to defend the rights and freedoms of Americans, no matter what threats Trump makes or if he acts on them.
“So, yeah, that’s what he said, that’s what he may try to do, but I’m not going to be intimidated,” Schiff said.
