Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) maintained that he was not part of a “coordinated effort” to pressure President Biden to drop out of the race, despite being one of the first lawmakers to publicly call on him to do so.
“I can’t speak to the private efforts that Speaker Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries were undertaking because I wasn’t involved in those internal discussions, so I don’t know what they were communicating to the president, only that they were communicating the feedback that they were getting from members of the House and the Senate,” Schiff told his co-hosts on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday.
“I can only speak from my own perspective. I was not part of any coordinated effort,” he added.
Schiff was one of the first prominent Democrats to publicly call on Biden to drop out of the race weeks after his disastrous debate performance.
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Adam Schiff told his co-hosts on “The View” on Wednesday that he was not part of any coordinated effort to remove Biden from the election. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
“I really held back from saying what I ultimately felt I needed to say, but having served on the January 6th committee and worked on the impeachment of the former president, I had serious concerns that a return to the disastrous presidency of Donald Trump could be the end of democracy as we know it,” the California congressman and Senate candidate told the daytime hosts.
“I felt compelled to speak out, but this was not part of any coordinated effort, but rather a spontaneous decision to say what I think many Americans are thinking, which is that we really need someone who can vigorously prosecute the case against Donald Trump to protect our country from people like Donald Trump,” he added.
Co-host Alyssa Farrah Griffin asked Schiff whether there was anything the White House should do to restore public confidence in its messaging about Biden’s health.
“I think we were confident in the president’s ability to do the job. He’s been a great president. He’s accomplished more than most presidents accomplish in one term. I think the question that came up after the debate and because of it was whether he could win another term,” Schiff said.
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President Joe Biden descends the steps of Air Force One, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (Susan Walsh/The Associated Press)
He also said Biden considered the possibility of losing to Trump and ultimately made the right decision.
“I think it was the right decision but I think it was very difficult for him. It was very difficult for me and for many in the party because we not only respect him but we have love and admiration for him. But it was the right decision. And I think we already know how people reacted to that decision. Not with ridicule, not with saying he should have done it sooner, but rather what a great act of statesmanship,” he added.
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Schiff is running for the California Senate seat held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
He reportedly expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy at a Democratic fundraiser and then publicly called on Biden to withdraw.
“If he gets the nomination, I think we’re going to lose,” Trump said, according to The New York Times. “And we’re going to lose the Senate and very likely lose our chance to take back the House.”
