House Kills GOP Push to Censure Rep. Adam Schiff Over Trump Inquiries
‘FLATTERING’
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The House on Wednesday voted to reject a measure to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee. The chamber voted 225-196 to table the resolution, with 20 Republicans crossing the aisle to vote with Democrats. Seven other lawmakers—five Democrats and two Republicans—voted “present.” The resolution, introduced by freshman lawmaker Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), also called for the House Ethics Committee to investigate Schiff and fine him $16 million if it was found he “lied, made misrepresentations and abused sensitive information.” Schiff told CNN on Tuesday that he believed the fine might be “unconstitutional and unenforceable.” On Wednesday, he added that he was “flattered” by the effort, but believed it was an attempt “to gratify the former President’s MAGA allies, and distract from Donald Trump’s legal troubles.” As head of the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff had led a 2019 probe into Trump’s ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential election, and later spearheaded the then-president’s first impeachment.