BREAKING: These 20 Republicans Just Voted Against Censuring Adam Schiff
On Wednesday, 20 Republicans joined the Democrats in opposing the censure motion against Adam Schiff, sponsored by Rep Luna (R-FL). Luna had introduced legislation aimed at fining Schiff a staggering $16 million for his role leading up to the Democrats’ first impeachment of former President Donald Trump.
The legislation accused Schiff of acting “dishonorably on many other occasions,” claiming that he falsely denied his staff’s coordination with a whistleblower. The House made a decision to suspend the resolution with a vote of 225-196.
HERE ARE THE 20 REPUBLICANS:
- Armstrong (ND)
- Chavez-DeRemer (OR)
- Ciscomani (AZ)
- Cole (OK)
- Davidson (OH)
- Fitzpatrick (PA)
- Granger (TX)
- Graves (LA)
- Kean (NJ)
- Kiley (CA)
- Kim (CA)
- Lawler (NY)
- Massie (KY)
- McClintock (CA)
- Molinaro (NY)
- Obernolte (CA)
- Simpson (ID)
- Turner (OH)
- Valadao (CA)
- Womack (AR)
20 Republicans voted w/ Dems to stop the ethics investigation, censure, & fine of Adam Schiff.
So there is no confusion (as some did not accurately read the bill) I will be filing a privileged motion to censure & send Schiff to ethics for investigation.
See you next week Adam.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) June 14, 2023
The legislation proposed that Schiff be fined $16 million, half of the alleged cost borne by taxpayers, as a result of an investigation conducted by the Committee on Ethics. This committee, as per the legislation, determined that Schiff lied, made misrepresentations, and abused sensitive information. Luna and many of her fellow Republicans have been vocal in their belief that Schiff should face consequences for his actions during the investigation. Schiff, a long-serving Democrat known for his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration, has often been a target of Republican ire.
According to Luna and others, Schiff was instrumental in launching the first impeachment of Trump. When introducing the legislation, Luna cited an incident from a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) hearing from September 2019, when Schiff allegedly recited a “false concocted rendition” of a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Earlier in the week, Luna further contended that Schiff exploited his position on the HPSCI in order to encourage and excuse “abusive intelligence investigations” of Americans for political purposes. Schiff was also accused of leveraging his position and access to sensitive information to instigate a “fraudulently based investigation,” which he then purportedly used to boost his political standing and raise funds.
Anna Paulina Luna introduces a resolution to fine Adam Schiff $16 million for his role in the Trump witch hunt. pic.twitter.com/IVHtRUOV7T
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 13, 2023
Last week, Luna discussed the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing efforts to hold former House Judiciary Committee chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) accountable for lying about the Trump-Russia investigation during an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. The Florida congresswoman filed the motion to censure, condemn and impose a fine on Schiff. The move came not long after the Durham report confirmed that the FBI opened the Trump-Russia investigation without any significant evidence to back claims of collusion.
Schiff, however, while serving as House Judiciary chair, had repeatedly claimed that he had seen exclusive evidence proving collusion between Trump and Russian intelligence agencies. “I don’t want to go into specifics, but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial. But as I’ve said all along, there’s plenty of evidence of collusion,” the California congressman told Meet The Press in 2017.
“He is a criminal… and Adam Schiff; you will be held accountable,” Luna countered on Fox News earlier this month.
She went on to reference his claims of seeing a “smoking gun” that never materialized. “And yet, he was privileged to information that not even I or many of my colleagues would be able to see,” Luna went on to say.
“He used that position. He absolutely aided and abetted a corrupt FBI into investigating a sitting president.” In addition to bringing “dishonor to the House of Representatives,” Luna argued that Schiff “really destroyed the sense of camaraderie that we had in this country.”
