WATCH: On HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Sen. Schiff Condemns Trump’s Illegal War in Iran, Talks Future of Democratic Party

Los Angeles, CA - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher for a panel discussion with journalist Don Lemon, to discuss the latest with the war in Iran including the impact of the war on the economy, stressed his continued push to end this illegal war, the alienating of the nation's allies, and the Trump administration's refusal to seek congressional authorization before taking military action.

The panel also discussed the recent Texas primary election and the future of the Democratic Party. Senator Schiff emphasized his work to rein in the corrupt and unlawful acts of the Trump administration while continuing to deliver for California.

Watch his Overtime Segment HERE. Watch the full panel on HBO Max.

Key Excerpts:

On how the war in Iran poses risks to the United States and the lack of strategy from the administration to mitigate the impacts:

[…] I certainly would not vote to go to war with Iran because there are costs that you don't see in the front end, and this administration has no plan for how to get out of this war, no plan to really articulate justification for it. I hope that it ends, as the president sometimes says, in days or weeks. I hope they're smart enough not to make this go on forever. But as we've seen, once you unleash a war, there are a lot of unforeseen consequences. Right now, Russia is reportedly providing intelligence to Iran about how to more successfully target American forces.

On the importance of reasserting Congress' war power:

[…] We are unquestionably at war now. The Founders made an extraordinary decision at the time, which was not to give that power to the president, but to give it to the Congress, because they were, I think, as Hamilton said that a president would grow too fond of making war. After Venezuela, after the earlier Iran conflict, after bombing Nigeria and Iraq and Syria, he's grown too fond of this. And Congress, Don, as you're saying, needs to step up, assert its role, or it's going to be gone for good. And then, anytime a president, for any reason, anywhere in the world, for any length of time, will feel free to make war. And that would be hugely dangerous for the country.

On defending and delivering for Californian constituents and the country:

[…] You can do both. And indeed, I think all of us are a different mixture of both, a focus on, okay, this is our positive agenda. This is what we have to accomplish. We have to get shit done in California. This was really my theme in my Senate campaign. We have to get shit done. We have to be able to move forward. We have to be able to build things. We have to build a lot more housing. You have to have a positive message. It can't be just about fighting Trump. But as they say, your opposition has a vote too. And when your opposition is taking the country to war without your approval in Congress, when the opposition is killing people in the streets, you got to stand up to that too.

On being a Senator for all Californians regardless of party:

[…] It's one thing to oppose Trump. It's another to write off everyone who ever supported him. That's a terrible mistake. I sought out a seat on the Agriculture Committee because it would help me serve large parts of red California. People forget there are probably eight million people in California who are voting for Donald Trump or supporting Donald Trump. They're entitled to representation, and if you don't make the case to them, if you don't speak to them with respect, if you don't appeal to them, if you don't solicit their opinion on things and show you're open to working with them, then why should they support you? So, it's my favorite part of the job, frankly, is talking to folks in these parts of the state that don't expect me to go there. I had a meeting with a group of farmers in Butte County, red as red can be. And I knew the meeting was going well at the end when one of the farmers says, "I don't know why the president calls you watermelon head. You've got a perfectly normal sized head." And that's when I knew I was making progress.

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