House GOP clears the way for Schiff censure
The measure would formally censure Schiff for his leading role in probes concerning former President Donald Trump.
The House GOP defeated Democrats’ attempt to block a public reprimand of Rep. Adam Schiff, clearing the way for Republicans to censure the California Democrat Wednesday evening.
The measure, expected to pass along party lines, would formally censure Schiff for his leading role in probes concerning former President Donald Trump and direct the House Ethics Committee to investigate his actions.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the sponsor of the resolution, and other conservatives tried to advance a similar censure measure last week, but 20 Republicans — objecting to language that could have resulted in a $16 million fine for Schiff — joined most Democrats to sink it before it came up for a full House vote. Luna removed that provision to allay their concerns.
Schiff has long been a Republican foil for his participation in the Trump probes, including the House investigation into the former president’s campaign ties to Russia and his first impeachment. Luna said Schiff had “launched an all-out political campaign against a sitting president” and “abused his privileges” as the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed him from earlier this year.
It’s the latest example of conservative-pushed “privileged” resolutions, which require a speedy floor vote and bypasses the committee process. The right flank of the House GOP plans to force votes on other controversial measures, despite the wishes of leadership, like the impeachment of President Joe Biden and his Cabinet secretaries.
Luna’s censure measure would require Schiff to stand in the well of the House chamber for a verbal rebuke in addition to triggering an ethics investigation.
Schiff, for his part, has embraced his role as a Republican boogeyman amid the weeks-long push by conservatives to punish him. Speaking on the House floor not long after the measure advanced, he sarcastically thanked Republicans for their “enmity” and said they flattered him with their “falsehood.”
“Your words tell me that I have been effective in the defense of our democracy and I am grateful,” he said. In a reference to Luna’s earlier version of the measure that could have imposed the heavy fine unless he resigned from Congress, Schiff quipped that Republicans “might as well make it $160 million. You will never deter me from doing my duty.”
The House seldomly censures its members, last voting to do so in 2021, when the Democratic majority reprimanded Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for posting an anime video on social media that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and attacking President Joe Biden.