House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Schiff is joined by other Democrats on the committee. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Twenty Republicans joined Congressional Democrats in tabling the censure resolution against Schiff that claimed he abused the public trust and repeatedly lied about Trump-Russia collusion.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives took up a censure resolution on Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, as presented by Florida Republican Congresswomen Anna Paulina Luna.
Mississippi Congressmen Trent Kelly (MS-1), Michael Guest (MS-3) and Mike Ezell (MS-4), all Republicans, voted to support the censure and condemnation of the California Democrat, while Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democratic Congressman representing the 2nd District, voted to table the measure.
The resolution – H. Res. 489 – claims Schiff abused the trust placed in him as ranking minority member and then Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence by citing evidence of a Russian collusion with former President Donald Trump to steal the 2016 Presidential election. The resolution states that it is now clear from reports by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and Special Counsel Durham such collusion did not exist.
The measure goes on to say that “by repeatedly telling these falsehoods, Representative Schiff purposely deceived his Committee, Congress, and the American people.” Some of the claims made against Schiff in the resolution include:
- Composing a false memo justifying the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant application on Trump associate Carter Page, which Inspector General Horowitz later found was riddled with 17 major mistakes and omissions, provoking FISA Court Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer to state unequivocally that the Federal Bureau of Investigation “mislead the FISC.”
- Falsely denying that his staff coordinated with a whistleblower to launch the first impeachment of President Trump.
- Reciting a false, concocted rendition of a phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Using his position and access to sensitive information to instigate a fraudulently based investigation, which he then used to amass political gain and fundraising dollars.
The resolution even recommended Schiff be fined $16,000,000 as “the American taxpayers paid $32 million to fund the investigation into collusion that was launched as a result of Representative Schiff’s lies, misrepresentations, and abuses of sensitive information.”
However, the majority Republican U.S. House could not pass the resolution, as 20 members in the GOP caucus voted with the Democratic minority to table to measure in a 225-196 vote. Five other Republicans either voted present or did not vote at all. The fine, although not required, appeared to be a sticking point for some Republicans who did not support this version of the resolution.
The 20 Republicans who voted to table the censure resolution against Congressman Schiff are:
- Kelly Armstrong, ND
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer, OR
- Juan Ciscomani, AZ
- Tom Cole, OK
- Warren Davidson, OH
- Brian Fitzpatrick, PA
- Kay Granger, TX
- Garret Graves, LA
- Thomas Kean, NJ
- Kevin Kiley, CA
- Young Kim, CA
- Michael Lawler, NY
- Thomas Massie, KY
- Tom McClintock, CA
- Marcus Molinaro, NY
- Jay Obernolte, CA
- Michael Simpson, ID
- Michael Turner, OH
- David Valadao, CA
- Steve Womack, AR
Frank Corder
