Adam Schiff

I am quite thankful that people like Schiff are out there fighting for our democracy. Based on this book, it seems to be thankless, joyless, and near hopeless. Well, I would find it joyless. Amazingly, Schiff seems to thrive. He keeps his ideals and doesn't feign naivety. I don't think there are any political surprises here, but we do get a view from the DC trenches.

> The Phils taught me about “the power of the gavel” and how to use it in different gradations and tones, with light taps on the handle, harder taps on the business end, and bringing it down with ear-shattering force when necessary—like a musician employing the full range of their instrument.

> There are about a million things I like about my job and only three that I don’t: wearing a suit and tie, making calls to raise money, and being away from my family. For all of my children’s lives, I have had to commute three thousand miles to work every week or two.… (más)

This interesting political memoir by Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee gives us some information about Schiff's family history and early life, but the focus is on his Congressional career, and in particular the time of Trump. The House Intel Committee's investigation into Trump's Russian connections early in his presidency is detailed, and it is interesting for how it delineates how quickly bipartisanship on the committee disintegrated. Shortly after the investigation began, the ranking Republican member on the committee Devin Nunes went off the rails and basically became an advocate for Trump rather than an investigator. The abdication by Republican Congress people of their constitutional responsibilities and duties in favor of Trump cultism is for Schiff the tragedy of our time.

The bulk of the book deals with the first Trump impeachment for which Schiff was the lead investigator as well as the lead prosecutor. As a recovering attorney, I found this portion of the book to be fascinating, as it deals with all the ins and outs and aspects to be considered for the myriad of decisions regarding strategy and tactics for the Senate trial. How disappointing that the Republican Senators failed to take their responsibilities seriously, to the extent that they refused to allow even the hearing of any evidence or testimony.

One of the biggest mistakes Schiff believes that he has made as the chair of the intel committee was his decision to hold a public hearing with testimony from Robert Mueller. He thought that Mueller's testimony would clarify that the failure of the report to find a criminal conspiracy with Russia did not mean "no collusion," and that the failure to recommend prosecution for obstruction did not mean exoneration. Schiff hoped to correct the false narrative initiated and controlled by AG William Barr as he delayed the release of the report to the public for weeks while misrepresenting its conclusions and content. While Schiff does not come out and say it, Mueller's cognitive decline was on full display during his testimony. Schiff believes that this so emboldened Trump, that it was the very next day that Trump made his "perfect" phone call extorting the Ukrainian president.

Perhaps because he was not as involved in the second impeachment, the book does not cover this in as great of detail, although we are presented with some Schiff's experiences during the Big Lie, the January 6 insurrection and other events of the final days of the Trump presidency.

An important book to read.

3 1/2 stars… (más)