Adam Schiff sworn in as California's newest Senator

After two decades in the House of Representatives, Adam Schiff will return to the Capitol on Monday to officially begin his term as a US Senator. 

Schiff, who represented the Greater Los Angeles Area, defeated former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey to fill California's Senate seat, once held by long-time public servant Dianne Feinstein. Before Schiff's election, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed labor leader Laphonza Butler to fill Feinstein's seat after the 90-year-old died in Sept. 2023. 

Schiff's 23-year career in the House took him to several committees in Congress, most notably the House Intelligence Committee. As chairman in 2020, he led the first impeachment proceedings of President Donald Trump. The meetings propelled Schiff into the forefront of national politics and painted him as one of Trump's most outspoken critics. 

The proceedings and his criticism of the president led to Schiff's censure from the House of Representatives. The resolution, introduced by ardent Trump supporter Anna Paulina Luna, called for the House Intelligence Committee to investigate Schiff's alleged "falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuses of sensitive information."

"As chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff launched an all out political campaign built on baseless distortions against a sitting U.S. president at the expense of every single citizen in this country and the honor of the House of Representatives," Luna said last year, calling the resolution "a clear vote between right and wrong." 

Censure is essentially a formal public reprimand by the House to punish misconduct that falls short of warranting expulsion. The censured member typically must stand on the House floor as the resolution detailing his or her offenses is read aloud. Schiff became the 25th member of the House to face the punishment. 

Following his censure, Schiff said he would wear "partisan vote as a badge of honor." 

"To my Republican colleagues who introduced this resolution, I thank you," he said in 2023, while he was running for his current Senate seat. "You honor me with your enmity. You flatter me with this falsehood. You, who are the authors of a big lie about the last election, must condemn the truth-tellers and I stand proudly before you. Your words tell me that I have been effective in the defense of our democracy and I am grateful." 

Before joining Congress, Schiff worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and served in California's Legislature as a state senator between 1995 and 2000.

For now, Schiff will serve out the rest of Feinstein's term before formally beginning his six-year term in January 2025.