Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) found himself on the edge of a political precipice as a motion to censure him over his claims of Russian collusion with former President Donald Trump narrowly missed its mark. The House held its breath as the vote to table the motion resulted in a close tally of 225-196, falling short of the required majority of 218 votes. The motion aimed to hold Schiff accountable for alleged breaches of trust by perpetuating accusations of Trump’s collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. As a long-standing target of House GOP members, particularly due to his prominent role in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019, Schiff responded to the motion with a mixture of defiance and dismissal.
Prior to the vote, Schiff spoke out in an interview with CNN, regarding the motion as a conglomeration of unfounded attacks. He saw it as nothing more than an orchestrated effort to divert attention from Trump’s mounting legal challenges and a means to gratify the former president by targeting his most formidable adversary. With a hint of self-satisfaction, Schiff expressed his flattery at being the subject of such a motion, implying that it was a testament to his effectiveness as a political opponent.
The motion had been introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who seized the opportunity to further her ongoing campaign to remove Schiff from office altogether. However, despite Luna’s persistent efforts, the legislation faltered when 20 Republicans joined forces with the Democrats to table the motion, effectively extinguishing its flame. In a surprising turn of events, seven members chose to abstain from voting on the measure, including two Republicans and five Democrats, adding a layer of intrigue to the political drama.
In the aftermath of the vote, Luna wasted no time in expressing her commitment to pursue the matter further. She took to Twitter, outlining her intentions to file a privileged motion to censure Schiff and initiate an ethics investigation against him. Her motivation stemmed from Schiff’s unwavering advocacy of unproven allegations of Trump-Russia collusion, often relying on the discredited Christopher Steele dossier. However, these allegations were recently cast under a renewed spotlight following the release of the Durham report, which concluded that the FBI lacked justifiable grounds to launch the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump’s alleged ties with Russia in 2016.
Schiff promptly dismissed the motion, vehemently denouncing it as a distorted misuse of House precedents and an outright assault on the Constitution. In a heartfelt letter addressed to his colleagues, he bemoaned the fact that his GOP counterparts were leveraging the power and resources of the House majority to rewrite history and propagate far-right conspiracy theories—all in the name of protecting and appeasing Donald Trump. Schiff’s words carried a sense of frustration and disappointment, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the significance he attached to the resolution.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to note that a censure vote holds no authority to remove a lawmaker from office or impose substantive penalties. Its main purpose lies in conveying symbolic dissatisfaction with a legislator’s conduct or voting record. However, the failed motion could potentially cast a shadow over Schiff’s bid to succeed the retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in the Senate, adding an intriguing twist to his political journey.