Who?
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) — Member, Senate Judiciary Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Schiff
Ask a Pol asks:
Curious your thoughts on the new House Oversight Committee report Chair James Comer dropped this week, arguing many of former President Joe Biden’s end-of-term pardons should be voided because they were allegedly signed with an autopen?
Key Schiff:
“I hope there will be an analysis by Republicans of [President Donald] Trump’s pardon of 1,550 people. He must have a very fast hand to have signed all those,” Sen. Adam Schiff exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “So I look forward to Comer announcing that investigation.”
But are you worried at all, because they’re sending the report to DOJ and making a formal case against you, potentially, in the courts?
“No, I’m not concerned about it,” Schiff says. “As I said at the time, I didn’t think President Biden should be issuing pardons.”
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Caught our ear:
“It is all part of a broader portrait of an administration that is trying to silence and intimidate critics — at universities and law firms, in private companies, among media organizations — so it’s all part of the same whole,” Schiff tells us. “Very much a part of the wannabe dictator’s playbook.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Adam Schiff (10-29-2025)
SCENE: In the basement of one of the US Senate Office buildings, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo bumps into Sen. Adam Schiff and three aides as they make their way back to their office after the Senator voted in the US Capitol.
Matt Laslo: “I was just curious your thoughts on that [Chair James] Comer House Oversight report yesterday, saying that the Autopen pardons are null and void…”
Adam Schiff: “Oh, oh.”
ML: “…that they’re sending to DOJ [Department of Justice].”
AS: “Right. Well, I hope there will be an analysis by Republicans of Trump’s pardon of 1,550 people. He must have a very fast hand to have signed all those, so I look forward to Comer announcing that investigation.”
ML: “But are you — are you worried at all, though, because they’re sending this to DOJ and making a formal case against you, potentially, in the courts?”
AS: “No, I’m not concerned about it. As I said at the time, I didn’t think President Biden should be issuing pardons.”
ML: “Yeah?”
AS: “And, as for DOJ, their priority is much less public safety and much more retribution.”
ML: “Yeah?”
AS: “So this seems like more of the same.”
ML: “What have you thought of the [fmr. Trump FBI Director James] Comey and [fmr. Trump National Security Adviser John] Bolton cases?”
AS: “Uhh, you know…”
ML: “But isn’t this the weaponized DOJ that we heard about from them?”
AS: “I think it is all part of a broader portrait of an administration that is trying to silence and intimidate critics — at universities and law firms, in private companies, among media organizations — so it’s all part of the same whole and very much a part of the wannabe dictator’s playbook.”
CYMI — where Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo first used this
ML: “Yeah? Thank you.”
AS: “You bet.”
Laslo thanks the Senator’s staffer who stopped talking and told the Senator a reporter was next to him...
ML: “Alright, I owe you!”
Schiff aide: “Name and outlet?”
ML: “Matt Laslo. I have my own bureau.”*
*Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo also runs The LCB — a regionally-focused, national wire service.
