House Votes Along Party Lines To Censure Rep. Adam Schiff For Investigating Trump’s Russia Ties

On Wednesday, the House voted 213-209 to pass a Republican measure to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California).

A censure is a formal statement of disapproval in which the target must stand before the House as the resolution listing their misconduct is read aloud.

In Schiff’s case, Republicans believe that his previous investigations into former President Donald Trump’s ties with Russia were exploitative and did not meet the behavioral code of the House.

The measure was initially introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida). The original resolution also included a $16 million fine, which was voted down last week by 20 Republicans, along with all Democrats. Luna then removed the clause in order to make the motion more appealing to her party, and was thus able to pass it on Wednesday.

In addition to a harsh reprimand from his colleagues, Schiff will also be the subject of an investigation led by the Ethics Committee to examine his alleged wrongdoings.

In a tweet following her successful effort to censure Schiff, Luna expressed gratitude for “all who worked together for accountability.”

Schiff also took to Twitter on Wednesday, sharing a video of him explaining what he thought to be an inappropriate use of a censure.

“I need to tell you this is very rare to have a censure resolution, and never used to basically try to silence someone who has stood up to their party leader. That is a completely illegitimate use of a censure resolution,” Schiff stated. “Their goal is to go after people they think are effective in standing up to them and standing up to Donald Trump… and they hope to chill others from doing what I did.”

Tonight I was censured by Republicans in the House.

Here’s what that was like and what that means for me, the Congress, and our democracy. pic.twitter.com/6WTPhvA9r7

— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) June 22, 2023

Following Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reading of the resolution, Democrats gathered on the floor to show support for Schiff and condemn the Republican motion.

“Having so many colleagues join me in solidarity meant the world to me… I was proud to fight for our democracy against Trump, and I am proud to have these colleagues by my side,” tweeted Schiff.