Summary of Adam Schiff's Midnight in Washington

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Adam Schiff's Midnight in Washington in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In the years leading up to the election of Donald Trump, Congressman Adam Schiff had already been sounding the alarm over the resurgence of autocracy around the world, and the threat this posed to the United States. But as he led the probe into Donald Trump’s Russia and Ukraine-related abuses of presidential power, Schiff came to the terrible conclusion that the principal threat to American democracy now came from within.

In Midnight in Washington, Schiff argues that the Trump presidency has so weakened our institutions and compromised the Republican Party that the peril will last for years, requiring unprecedented vigilance against the growing and dangerous appeal of authoritarianism. The congressman chronicles step by step just how our democracy was put at such risk, and traces his own path to meeting the crisis—from serious prosecutor, to congressman with an expertise in national security and a reputation for bipartisanship, to liberal lightning rod, scourge of the right, and archenemy of a president. Schiff takes us inside his team of impeachment managers and their desperate defense of the constitution amid the rise of a distinctly American brand of autocracy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669341833

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Adam Schiff's Midnight in Washington

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Capitol Police began instructing the members of Congress to wear the protective masks. The members were told that tear gas had been deployed, and to be prepared to get underneath their chairs if necessary.

#2

The Capitol riot was sparked by the Republicans’ refusal to accept the election results.

#3

During the protest, a Republican lawmaker was speaking with a member of the media when he was attacked by fellow Republicans, who mistook him for a member of the Democratic Party.

#4

Republicans were going to challenge the results of the election in Congress. The Democrats had to organize and prepare for those debates.

#5

The author was prepared to argue the case for counting the votes from Arizona, but was surprised to find out that there were already plans in place to challenge the election results.

#6

The author was the last Democratic speaker left in the Capitol. He called his wife to tell her that he was safe, but was worried about the others who were still in the building.

#7

Around 6 p. m. , the Capitol Police contacted Representative Schiff and told him to go inside his office and lock the door. They told him to seek cover and remain silent, as there was an internal security threat.

#8

The next day, the Capitol was once again filled with protesters. The Senate session was disrupted by shouting protesters, and the House session was similarly disrupted by protesters.

#9

On January 6, the House impeached the Pennsylvania electors, who had voted for Joe Biden. The following day, Democratic congressman Conor Lamb gave a speech in which he promised that the country would be fine if the Republican Congress would just allow him to do his job.

#10

Trump and his supporters were responsible for the Capitol riot, but it was the Republicans in Congress who pushed the absurd claim that the election had been rigged, and who continued to spread that lie even after the Capitol riot.

#11

Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was born to two families that were firmly entrenched in their political parties. His father was a Democrat who immigrated from Russia, and his mother was a Republican who immigrated from Poland.

#12

The author’s parents met at a party in Boston, where her boyfriend was one of his friends. They eventually got married, and he became a Republican activist.

#13

The author’s parents were politically independent, but they never discussed politics with their children. They preferred to teach by example, and when they did, it was generally in terms of faith and family.

#14

Many of the lessons that the author’s father tried to teach him growing up were about how to treat others, regardless of their religion.

#15

The author’s father was not afraid of anti-Semitism, even when it came from his own family.

#16

The author had a political awakening during her sophomore year abroad, when