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Rep. Adam Schiff takes on President Trump via Twitter

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has taken to Twitter to directly criticize President Donald Trump's tweets.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has taken to Twitter to directly criticize President Donald Trump’s tweets.

(Mark Wilson / Getty Images; Andrew Harrer-Pool / Getty Images)
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has served his Southern California district during the presidencies of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama and throughout has garnered a reputation for being cool, calm and collected in his politics.

Lately, however, the congressman has taken a more aggressive approach on his Twitter account, directly rebuking President Donald Trump’s tweets, often turning the business mogul’s sardonic language against him.

Schiff, who is also the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee, said his social media reflects the level of concern he feels over the current administration.

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“My tweets, I think, have been far less restrained than is usually the case,” Schiff said. “It’s very much against type for me to say that the president is belittling our country or praising a dictator, but that’s what he’s doing, and I just feel so strongly about it, and I feel the need to speak out and do so directly.”

Pinned atop Schiff’s Twitter account is a retweet of Trump’s reaction to a federal judge who temporarily blocked the president’s immigration ban. Trump referred to Bush-appointed U.S. District Judge James L. Robart as a “so-called judge” and added that Robart’s block was “ridiculous.”

Schiff responded with what he said was the most effective way to rebut the president’s jab — by replying, sarcastically, that Robart was appointed by a “so-called president” and confirmed by the “so-called Senate.”

Schiff also suggested Trump read the “so-called Constitution.”

“It was a way to point out just how ludicrous his comment was,” Schiff said. “A lot of my tweets are designed just to show how ludicrous and sometimes dangerous are the things that he’s saying.”

Although his tweets have been tougher than usual, Schiff has never been mum on issues he’s cared about. He can be seen speaking out against Trump’s policies on MSNBC and CNN. Schiff even appeared on the “Colbert Report” more than a decade ago.

When he’s not rebuking Trump on Twitter, Schiff uses the platform to retweet the stories of his constituents. On Monday, he tweeted a story about how the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, helped “Abbie from West Hollywood” obtain health insurance despite having a preexisting condition.

Away from social media, Schiff has been hosting a series of coffee sit-downs and town hall meetings to speak with those opposed to the Trump administration.

Schiff said he’s been encouraging people to get involved in the top three issues they care about most, be they national or local.

“Since the election, I’ve received hundreds and hundreds of calls and emails from people who are having trouble sleeping, having trouble eating,” Schiff said. “They’re so distraught about what this means for the country that it’s affecting them viscerally in a way that no election ever has.”

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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda

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