In a contentious vote, the Republican-led House expressed its formal rebuke of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for his handling of allegations against former President Donald Trump throughout multiple investigations. The resolution, passed along party lines with a vote of 213-209, cited Schiff’s “misleading” of the American public and conduct deemed unbecoming of a House Representative.
As the vote commenced, Democrats gathered on the House floor, chanting “shame, shame.” However, they applauded Schiff when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called him to the well to announce the censure.
Schiff now joins the ranks of the 25th member in House history to be censured and is the third to receive such a reprimand in this century. The act of censure signifies the House’s disapproval of a member’s misconduct that falls short of expulsion, as stated on the House website’s history page.
The four-page resolution, introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), accused Schiff of abusing his position and disseminating falsehoods about the Russia investigation, as well as raising concerns related to the Ukraine-focused impeachment inquiry against Trump. Once passed, the resolution required Schiff to appear before the House chamber to receive the censure and prompted the House Ethics Committee to investigate his conduct.
During the vote, six Republicans opted for a “present” vote, with five of them serving on the ethics panel. A revised version of Luna’s censure resolution, without the contentious clause proposing a $16 million fine for Schiff, overcame an earlier motion to table it, addressing concerns about its constitutionality.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of the Republicans who previously voted against the censure, had raised concerns about the fine’s constitutionality. The removal of that clause allowed the resolution to gain support and ultimately pass. Massie acknowledged the changes made and expressed gratitude for those who stood with him to ensure constitutional compliance.
Republicans have consistently accused Schiff, who chaired the committee for four years, of repeatedly lying, particularly in his insistence on the existence of collusion evidence. McCarthy’s decision to remove Schiff from the intelligence panel earlier in the year, after Republicans gained control of the House, was a result of mounting GOP frustration with him.
Schiff is currently running for the Senate seat held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and has utilized the censure effort as a fundraising tool. In response to the censure, he declared it a “badge of honor” and defended his comments regarding Trump.
During the debate, prominent Democrats voiced their support for Schiff. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) denounced the censure resolution as “fake, phony, and fraudulent.”