A group of 20 Republican members of the House joined forces with their Democratic colleagues to stymie a resolution that aimed to censure and impose a fine on Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California.
These Republicans include Kelly Armstrong (ND), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR), Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Tom Cole (OK), Warren Davidson (OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Kay Granger (TX), Garret Graves (LA), Thomas Kean Jr. (NJ), Kevin Kiley (CA), Young Kim (CA), Mike Lawler (NY), Thomas Massie (KY), Tom McClintock (CA), Mark Molinaro (NY), Jay Obernolte (CA), Mike Simpson (ID), Mike Turner (OH), David Valadao (CA) and Steve Womack (AR).
The censure resolution, proposed by Florida’s Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, accused Schiff of intentionally misleading his committee, Congress, and the American public during the special counsel inquiry into former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. If passed, the resolution would have resulted in a $16 million fine for Schiff, equating to half the cost of the special counsel investigation.
Throughout the course of Robert Mueller’s special counsel probe, Schiff maintained that proof of collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government would surface, leading to a potential jail sentence for Trump. Schiff, who was then chair of the House Intelligence Committee, undertook repeated investigations into Trump. However, he was removed from the committee by Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the commencement of the 118th Congress.
The resolution claimed that Schiff exploited his position and sensitive information access to instigate a baseless investigation, which he subsequently leveraged for political advancement and fundraising. According to the resolution, Schiff cited nonexistent evidence of collusion as indicated by reports from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and Special Counsel John Durham.
Schiff, who is currently campaigning for a Senate seat, capitalized on the possibility of censure by fundraising. He emailed his supporters on Wednesday morning, alleging that “MAGA Republicans are out for revenge” in what he described as “an attack on the very premise of constitutional oversight and accountability.”
Despite the setback, Luna has vowed to reintroduce the censure for another vote, but this time without the proposed $16 million fine.
“20 Republicans voted against the recommended fine, censure, and investigation of Schiff,” Luna said on Twitter after the resolution failed to pass. “I don’t think they read the bill in entirety. Next week, we will be filing a motion to censure and investigate Schiff. We are removing the fine as that seems to be what made these Republicans uneasy.”
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