The Congressman Who’s Taking on Trump in Russian Election Hacking Scandal

Adam Schiff

By Nathan Guttman December 14, 2016

California Rep. Adam Schiff is in the spotlight, leading the Democratic call for a full investigation into Russian intelligence involvement in the presidential election.

The Jewish seven-term lawmaker, described by the Fresno Bee’s editorial Tuesday as a “measured politician not prone to hyper-partisanship” has emerged as Trump’s chief critic on the Hill, demanding Congress use its power to investigate Russia’s hacking activity during the elections and its reported efforts to use this hacking for the benefit of Trump’s presidential race.

Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, wants to go beyond the business-as-usual congressional inquiry and to launch a special investigation involving both chambers and both sides of the aisle. “

“This investigation would serve the purpose of informing the public, developing a concerted response, deterring the Russians from further malignant cyber action and inoculating the public against such manipulation in the future,” Schiff said.

Schiff lashed out at president-elect Donald Trump, calling him a “propaganda piece for the Kremlin,” and also at Fox News moderator Tucker Carlson who questioned Schiff’s certainty that Russia was indeed behind the hacking.

“You’re carrying water for the Kremlin,” Schiff told Carlson in a heated on-air exchange.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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