Congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who has become a forceful advocate for an independent investigation into potential ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, will give a keynote speech at the the California Democratic Party convention on May 20 in Sacramento, party officials announced Friday.
“Congressman Schiff has shown that California leads in the fight to discover the truth about the extent of Russian involvement in the 2016 United States presidential election,” state Democratic Party officials said in a statement.
The Russia investigation is expected to be a key point of discussion at this year’s three-day convention, May 19-21, as well as climate change, health care and immigration.
Schiff, a former federal prosecutor and state senator, has called for the appointment of an independent commission to investigate Trump-Russia ties and recently put pressure on Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, to step aside from the House investigation. (Nunes gave a prominent speech at the California Republican Party convention in February.)
In his role on the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff also has been outspoken about the Trump administration’s decision to launch a missile strike Thursday on an airfield in Syria in response to what is believed to be a chemical weapons attack on civilians. He said Congress must weigh in on military action, and in a statement Thursday, said he plans to re-introduce an authorization for use of military force against al-Qaida and The Islamic State.
“This strike will not hasten an end to the (Bashar al-Assad) regime, but it may deter further use of chemical weapons,” Schiff said. “Congress cannot abdicate its responsibility any longer and should vote on any use of force not made in self defense …”
Angela Hart: 916-326-5528, @ahartreports
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