Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is reportedly lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint him as California‘s next attorney general, replacing presumptive incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to Axios.
Schiff’s role as chair of the House Intelligence Committee affords him a unique access to power and information, which helped him to implement multiple Machiavellian coup attempts against former president Donald Trump.
But his ability to target political enemies has been diminished by Democrats’ complete takeover of the legislative and executive branches.
By contrast, as California’s top attack-dog, he could target Republican candidates hoping to gain a foothold in the state’s upcoming gubernatorial race, regardless of whether or not Newsom is forced out by recall later this year.
He might also stave off a resurgent GOP in Congress, where several House seats that flipped blue in the 2018 election went red again last year.
For the politically ambitious Schiff, the move also may be a logical progression in his own career.
Due to California’s status as a safe state for radical leftists to be re-elected, it has been a an enticing launchpad for many powerful Democrats.
In addition to Becerra, Vice President Kamala Harris also passed through the state AG’s office on her way up the political pole of success.
The embattled Newsom, meanwhile, has made a priority of installing political allies in the right places, appointing California’s former secretary of state, Alex Padilla, to replace Harris as a US senator.
Building a close rapport with the governor might open up a pathway for Schiff to inherit either the governorship or the next open Senate seat, Politico reported.
Even though 87-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., already has filed paperwork to run again in 2024, her recent vilification by far-left activists is likely to continue after recent overtures of bipartisanship with GOP colleagues.
Already, some on the Left are smearing the longtime Democrat stalwart with accusations of dementia.
If Schiff were hoping to challenge her in a primary, he might easily benefit from launching an investigation into her longtime ties to China and role in an insider-trading scandal last year.
In the short term, Schiff’s appointment to fill the post could leave an even thinner Democrat majority in the House, although his Los Angeles district is generally considered a safe-blue stronghold.
Nonetheless, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a close ally and mentor to both Schiff and Becerra, was said to have supported the move.
Newsom, for his part, has played the decision close to the vest for now. Among the other prospects are state Assembly member Rob Bonta and LGBT activist Rick Chavez Zbur, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s pretty clear that there are advocates for their favorites,” Califorina political strategist Bill Carrick told Axios. “But it’s not clear that that will have any influence on the one person who will make the decision: Gov. Gavin Newsom.”
