Who Is Adam Schiff, Whose 'Sycophant' Remarks Towards Kash Patel Angered Elon Musk?

Last Updated:February 22, 2025, 11:42 IST

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff said Kash Patel was a "political hack" and a "sycophant" who was unfit to lead the FBI. Patel and Elon Musk had earlier called Schiff a "criminal".

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff said Kash Patel was unfit to lead the FBI. (Reuters)

Kash Patel FBI Chief News: Indian-American Kash Patel was formally sworn in as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director on Friday, making him one of the most high-profile appointees in the Trump Cabinet, despite strong objections from Democrats over his loyalty to President Donald Trump and vows of retribution against the Republican leader’s critics.

One of those critics was Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who called Patel a “political hack" and a “sycophant" before his Senate confirmation hearing. Despite objections from Democrats and two moderate Republicans, Kash Patel was approved as FBI chief by the US Senate in a 51-49 vote.

“This is someone we cannot trust. This is someone who lacks the character to do this job. Someone who lacks the integrity to do this job. We know that, our Republican colleagues know that," Schiff said ahead of the Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.

“The only qualification Kash Patel has to be FBI director is that when everyone else in the first Trump administration said ‘no, I won’t do that. That crosses moral, ethical and legal lines’, Kash Patel said ‘sign me up," Schiff added. “In the first Trump administration, as we are seeing in the second, you rise to the level of your sycophancy, and no one is a bigger or more dangerous sycophant than Kash Patel. This political hack does not deserve to be in this building. He can’t do the job."

Why Schiff Rallied Against Patel’s Nomination?

Last year, Patel courted controversy when he told Trump ally Steve Bannon that he would “come after" politicians and journalists perceived to be enemies of Donald Trump, sparking a furore among Democrats. His so-called “enemies list" and his sympathy for January 6 rioters also delayed his Senate confirmation.

There is now speculation that Schiff may be added to the list of Patel’s “enemies" which contains the names of government officials, prosecutors and journalists whom the FBI chief has accused of being involved in a “deep state" conspiracy against Trump, in his 2023 book ‘Government Gangsters’

Kash Patel has made strong remarks against Schiff in the past, criticising him for his role in leading an impeachment motion against Trump. “Adam Schiff is the worst criminal in Congress in the last 250 years… Schiff led the prosecution of the impeachment trial in the Senate of President Donald Trump."

“Talk about someone who’s conflicted out of the game because he was part of the hoax that brought Eric Ciaramella in, manufactured that false accusation, and then pedalled it out to the world, and continued him. Not surprising. He’s lied about almost everything in his life, but now, he lied just to set up a presidential impeachment," he said.

Patel also called for an investigation into Schiff’s role for interacting with a whistleblower to start a presidential impeachment. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading Trump’s government overhaul agency, echoed Patel’s statements, saying, “Adam Schiff is a criminal."

Who Is Adam Schiff?

Adam Schiff, 64, is a Democratic Senator who has served as the US Representative for California’s 28th congressional district since 2001. He gained national prominence for leading the impeachment proceedings against Trump in 2019.

Schiff was born in Framingham, Massachusetts and graduated from Danville’s Monte Vista High School in the Bay Area. He went on to both Stanford University and Harvard Law School.

He later moved to Los Angeles to serve as a law clerk for Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr. He also worked in the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles as a federal prosecutor. During his six-year-old tenure, he prosecuted Richard Miller, the first FBI agent indicted for spying for Russia.

In 1996, Adam was elected to the California State Senate as its youngest member. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Juvenile Justice, and the Joint Committee on the Arts.

In 2000, Adam was first elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served as a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Appropriations Committee. He rallied for sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

In 2024, Adam was elected to the United States Senate to represent the state of California, after Dianne Feinstein’s retirement.

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world Who Is Adam Schiff, Whose 'Sycophant' Remarks Towards Kash Patel Angered Elon Musk?