Adam Schiff, the newly minted U.S. Senator from California, wasted no time making headlines after news broke that Special Counsel Jack Smith is dropping all charges against President-elect Donald Trump—for now. Schiff’s predictable outrage unfolded on social media, where he blasted the Biden administration and the court system for what he framed as a failure to uphold the rule of law. But let’s cut through the noise: Schiff’s indignation isn’t about justice. It’s about salvaging his reputation after years of partisan gamesmanship that ultimately backfired.

Schiff’s sanctimonious rant conveniently leaves out his role in botching the timeline for any potential prosecution of Trump. As one of the most vocal members of the now-defunct January 6th committee, Schiff prioritized optics and media coverage over legal strategy. Remember those Hollywood-produced hearings? Taxpayer dollars were spent to turn congressional proceedings into a made-for-TV spectacle, complete with selective editing and dramatic flair.

Meanwhile, the DOJ—the only entity with the legal authority to prosecute Trump—was sidelined. Schiff and his allies refused to share crucial testimonies and evidence with federal prosecutors, citing a need to “protect” their work. Protect what, exactly? The truth? The legal process? No, they were protecting their egos and their political agenda.

By delaying cooperation, Schiff and his committee effectively kneecapped the DOJ’s ability to bring a case against Trump before the 2024 election. They chose political theater over due process, and it cost them.

The Justice Dept and the court system failed to uphold the principle that no one is above the law.

DOJ by neglecting to promptly investigate the events of Jan 6, and the courts by willfully delaying progress of the case and providing immunity.

The public deserved better.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 25, 2024

When Jack Smith was finally appointed as special counsel in late 2022, the clock was already ticking. He moved swiftly by legal standards, bringing multiple indictments against Trump in less than a year. However, the timeline left little room for error, and delays—some unavoidable, some self-inflicted—pushed the case past the election. Once Trump won, the DOJ’s hands were tied.

Smith’s decision to drop the charges, citing DOJ policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, is a legal formality rooted in constitutional precedent. His choice to dismiss the case without prejudice leaves the door open for future action, but for all practical purposes, the pursuit is over. Schiff knows this, which makes his outrage all the more performative.

Schiff isn’t upset because the “rule of law” was undermined. He’s upset because his own political miscalculations helped derail the Democrats’ best chance at taking Trump down. Schiff, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and the rest of the January 6th committee bet everything on making a splash before the 2022 midterms, and they got their headlines. What they didn’t get was a timely resolution to their case against Trump.

Had Schiff and company handed over evidence to the DOJ from the start, it’s possible the case could have gone to trial long before voters went to the polls in 2024. Instead, they overplayed their hand, choosing theatrics over substance.

For a man who once promised “smoking gun” evidence of Russian collusion—a claim that was never substantiated—Schiff’s moral posturing is as predictable as it is tiresome. He continues to cry foul over Trump while ignoring his own party’s failures. The January 6th committee’s mishandling of evidence, its refusal to cooperate with federal prosecutors, and its indulgence in partisan showmanship were not just strategic errors—they were betrayals of the process Schiff claims to hold dear.