By Rounak Bagchi
Copyright timesnownews
The yearslong feud between Adam Schiff, the Democratic senator from California, and FBI Director Kash Patel erupted in spectacular fashion Tuesday, when a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing devolved into a shouting match between the two men. The clash went off after Schiff pressed Patel on the Justice Department’s decision to move Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to a lower-security prison facility. When Schiff asked if Americans were “stupid” enough to believe Patel’s insistence that the transfer was made independently by the Bureau of Prisons, Patel shot back: “What I am doing is protecting this country … and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you. We have countlessly proven you to be a liar in Russiagate, in January 6. You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate.” Patel then added: “You are a political buffoon at best.” Who Is Adam Schiff? Adam Bennett Schiff was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, to Edward and Sherrill Ann Schiff. His father was a clothing salesman, and the family eventually relocated to Alamo, California, in search of opportunity. Schiff graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, later attending Stanford University and Harvard Law School. In 1996, he was elected to the California State Senate, becoming its youngest member at the time. Over his four-year term, he chaired several committees, including Judiciary, Public Employment and Retirement, Juvenile Justice, and the Joint Committee on the Arts. While serving in Sacramento, he also taught political science at Glendale Community College. Schiff was elected to the US Senate in 2024 to represent California, after a long tenure in the House of Representatives where he became one of the most visible Democratic figures during the Donald Trump presidency. The Long Feud Between Patel and Schiff Their relationship has been defined by confrontation. As chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff led the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Patel, then a Republican staffer on the committee, sought to undermine the investigation and defend Trump. The hostility continued in the years after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Schiff served on the select committee investigating the attack, while Patel positioned himself as an advocate for many of the rioters charged in its aftermath. Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have pointed to Patel’s history of inflammatory rhetoric toward Schiff, including social media posts that depicted violent imagery involving the California senator. More recently, Patel has accused Schiff of leaking damaging information about Trump, accusations the senator has denied. How the Senate Hearing Boiled Over The Judiciary Committee hearing underscored just how bitter the feud has become. As Schiff and Patel shouted over one another, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois pleaded with Chairman Charles Grassley to restore order. Grassley banged his gavel and told both men: “Be quiet.” It was not the only heated moment of the day. Earlier, Patel had clashed with Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, after Booker suggested Trump might eventually turn against his FBI Director. Patel responded by calling Booker “an embarrassment to your country,” prompting the senator to retort, “I’m not afraid of you.” After the hearing, Schiff accused Patel of “performing for an audience of one” and suggested his testimony was intended to “save his job.” The White House, meanwhile, praised Patel for attacking “Pencil Neck,” the president’s derisive nickname for Schiff. Patel is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, setting up another contentious day on Capitol Hill. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.
