Top Democrat Adam Schiff calls on Biden to drop out

FILE – California Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., during a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, on June 21, 2022. Schiff on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, as the party pushed ahead with plans to hold a virtual vote to formally make Biden its nominee in the first week of August. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

BURBANK – Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, called on President Joe Biden Wednesday to drop his reelection bid, citing “serious concerns” that Biden can defeat Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, a vice president, and now as president has made our country better,” Schiff told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.

“But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said. Schiff is running for the US Senate against former Dodgers star Steve Garvey.

At least 19 House Democrats and one Democratic senator – Peter Welch of Vermont – have called on Biden to step down, citing concerns about the president’s age after his listless performance in the first presidential debate against Trump in June.

Biden has repeatedly and emphatically refused calls to step down, insisting that he plans to stay in the race and win in November.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, when the party is scheduled to officially nominate its presidential candidate.

However, the Democratic National Committee has decided to hold a virtual roll call vote to formally nominate Biden sometime in the first week of August, according to multiple media reports, which cited a letter sent Wednesday by the heads of the convention rules committee. (CNS)

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