Longtime Democratic congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff is facing criticism over allegations that he has been using homeowner tax benefits to claim two principal residences in Maryland and California for over a decade.
The concerns surrounding Schiff’s residential claims could provide challenges for his launch of a bid for the U.S. Senate in January 2023.
Schiff has had a sizable 3,420-square-foot home in Maryland for a number of years. But he also declared a considerably smaller condo in Burbank, California, which is 650 square feet, as his principal property and claimed a homeowner’s tax exemption on it.
This move resulted in a $7,000 overall savings for the congressman in property taxes, or about $70 a year. Schiff did not ask for a similar exemption for his Maryland property.
According to CNN, tax records show that 2017 was the only year Schiff used a personal cheque with his Maryland address to pay property taxes in California, escalating the situation.
The New York Post was informed by an insider that Schiff “rarely visits his California apartment,” a modest one-bedroom flat with one bathroom.
The disclosure coincides with Schiff’s fierce rivalry in the California Senate primary against fellow Democrats Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter. When Schiff paid $870,000 for his Maryland house in 2003, deed records show that he declared it to be his principal residence, according to the NY Post.
“In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, Schiff refinanced his mortgage and consistently indicated the Maryland property as his primary residence. Los Angeles County deed records for Schiff’s Burbank condo, purchased in 2009 for $298,000, raise eyebrows as they were notarized in Maryland. The records feature alterations that replaced ‘California’ and ‘Los Angeles’ with ‘Maryland’ and ‘Montgomery County,’ listing Schiff’s Maryland address as the return address. This inconsistency further fuels doubts about his true primary residence,” the outlet added.
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, Schiff’s campaign spokesperson Marisol Samayoa stated in an interview with CNN that the candidate’s principal house is in Burbank. Maryland is Schiff’s home state.
Samayoa highlighted, citing his book and other news articles, that Schiff and his wife had relocated to the Washington, DC, area so they could be closer to their kids while he carried out his legislative obligations.
In addition, Samayoa asserted that Schiff had declared his addresses in Maryland and California as year-round homes and had designated them as primary residences for loan reasons in order to set them apart from vacation homes.