Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was the lead prosecutor in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, said Tuesday he's hopeful the rule of law will be enforced against the former president and 2024 presidential candidate "for the sake of our democracy."
Trump was indicted Tuesday for the third time this year, and second time by Smith, this time regarding his alleged role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The four-count indictment was delivered Tuesday by a grand jury in federal court in Washington. Trump, who is the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has denied any wrongdoing.
"Breaking: Trump was just indicted on his most serious charges to date, those concerning Jan. 6," Schiff tweeted. "This will put our democracy to a new test: Can the rule of law be enforced against a former president and current candidate? For the sake of our democracy, that answer must be yes."
Schiff, who is running for California's open Senate seat in 2024 following fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein's retirement, was censured by the House in June for spreading false allegations of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluding with Russia to swing the election in his favor. When Republicans regained control of the House in 2022, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., removed Schiff from the Intelligence Committee, which Schiff had chaired since 2019.