House kills attempt to censor Adam Schiff, aided by some Republicans

Why it matters

The censure resolution, a day after Trump was indicted in federal court on 37 felony charges related to his mishandling of classified documents and attempts to obstruct federal investigators, was Republicans’ latest bid to retaliate against Democrats for their treatment of the former president.

But although the measure, which Mr. Schiff of willfully lying for political gain, was deeply partisan, it raised complex questions about accountability and revenge. Mr. Schiff’s claims that there was “sufficient evidence” that Mr. Trump was colluding with Russia were undermined by the conclusions of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who wrote in his report that his investigation “has not shown that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election meddling, and Republicans have used that determination to accuse Mr. Schiff of lying.

“At the end of the day, this is an accountability tool that we can do to each other to make sure that the integrity of the institution is intact,” Ms. Luna said.

Yet the statements and allegations of Mr. Schiff during an official investigation into Mr. Trump. On Wednesday, Mr Schiff called the attempt to censor him “political payback” and warned it would “create a dangerous precedent to go after someone who held a corrupt president accountable”.

The bipartisan vote to introduce the measure suggested that at least some Republicans agreed it was inappropriate.

Background

Mr. Schiff, who is running in a competitive primary for a chance to succeed a fellow California Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein, has long been vilified by the GOP. Earlier this year, Chairman Kevin McCarthy unilaterally removed him from the Intelligence Committee.

Ms. Luna, who was the first to introduce a resolution to fine and censure Mr. Schiff, rewrote her measure to say that the House Ethics Committee would have to impose the $16 million fine if it determined that Mr. Schiff had “lied, misrepresented and misused sensitive information”. .” The move was intended to allay concerns about the resolution among Republicans, but it appeared to have failed.

“The Constitution says the House may make its own rules, but we may not violate any other (subsequent) provisions of the Constitution,” Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, wrote on Twitter, arguing that the resolution violated amendments related to excessive fines and changes to congressional salaries.

What’s next

Mr. Schiff has used the censure resolution to raise money for his Senate campaign, begging supporters to turn in money to help him cover a fine that has little chance of being imposed.

It was unclear whether Ms. Luna’s efforts were the start of a trend. This month, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution to censure Mississippi Democrat Representative Bennie Thompson, accusing him of inappropriately sharing data with the Biden administration while leading the committee investigating to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the events leading up to it.