Between the Mueller report and the Durham report, it’s indisputable that Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) abused his position as the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee by repeatedly making false claims that Trump colluded with Russia, including claims that he personally saw conclusive evidence proving it occurred.
Well, accountability may be coming to Schiff very soon. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) submitted a resolution to censure Schiff. The resolution highlights a series of allegations against Schiff, accusing him of abusing his position as ranking member and Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) by repeatedly citing nonexistent evidence of collusion. The resolution also accuses Schiff of intentionally deceiving the committee, Congress, and the public with these lies, which contributed to the rights and civil liberties of Carter Page being violated. Additionally, it says Schiff used his position and access to sensitive information to initiate a fraudulently based investigation, which he then exploited for political gain and fundraising.
The last accusation against Schiff cites the cost to taxpayers resulting from his lies, which Luna put at $32 million.
The resolution calls for Schiff to be censured and condemned by the House of Representatives, “for conduct that misleads the American people in a way that is not befitting an elected Member of the House of Representatives.” It demands Schiff present himself in the House chamber to be censured and to publicly read the charges against him, and be fined $16 million.
Will it go anywhere?
In May, Luna introduced a resolution to expel Schiff from the House of Representatives that doesn’t seem to have got anywhere yet, but Republican leadership appears to be firmly behind this new resolution seeking censure. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) has publicly expressed support for the resolution.
“I support @RepLuna’s resolution to censure Adam Schiff, and I’m working with her on the best timing to bring it to the House Floor to help it pass,” he tweeted.
Thank you @SteveScalise ! https://t.co/pfCUZnMt0w
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) June 13, 2023
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was censured and removed from his committees by the Democrat-controlled House in 2021 for a video he tweeted. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was also removed from her committee assignments over past comments she had made. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned Democrats at the time that once the Republicans had the majority again, they’d hold Democrats to the same standard to which they were holding Republicans. Speaker McCarthy followed through on this promise, and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) all lost their powerful committee assignments.
Related: What Happens to the Democrats Who Claimed They Had Evidence of Collusion?
A vote on the resolution is expected Wednesday or Thursday. Considering the thin majority Republicans have in the House, it will take a unified party to get the censure passed. As for the expulsion resolution, I highly doubt it will be successful in such an evenly split House.
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