On Wednesday, the House voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff over the Democrat's criticisms of former United States President Donald Trump and his role in leading an impeachment inquiry into the Republican businessman.
The vote tallied a 213-209 result that came exactly a week after similar efforts to censure Schiff were rejected after nearly two dozen GOP members joined Democrats to block the resolution. It was made over objections to a provision that called for issuing a fine to the California lawmaker worth $16 million.
House Censures Adam Schiff
However, freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, the resolution's author, said this week that she had secured enough support from the 20 GOP members that previously blocked it after removing the language regarding the fine.
Following the vote, Schiff was ordered to stand on the House floor to receive a verbal rebuke from other members, which House Speaker Kevin McCarthy read. However, Democrats chanted "Shame!" and "Disgrace!" as they mocked the speaker, as per NBC News.
The resolution also requires the House Ethics Committee to investigate the Democratic House member. Six Republican lawmakers voted present on the House's censure resolution.
In a statement made in a floor speech before the vote, Luna said that the perpetrator of this web of deceit, referring to Schiff, became a mainstay on cable news. She accused him of having only one goal daily, which she claimed was lying to the American people that there was no direct evidence of Russian collusion.
The situation comes as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not establish any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. However, it documented contacts between Russians and campaign officials and found that the campaign was willing to receive assistance.
The California Democrat, who is now running for an open seat in his home state, was previously the chairman and ranking member of the Intelligence Committee during the Trump administration. He also became the face of Democratic accusations that the former president's 2016 campaign team members colluded with Russia to beat then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Role in Trump-Era Probes
Luna argued that Schiff conducted an all-out political campaign against then-sitting president Trump. She also claims that the California lawmaker abused his privileges as the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, according to Politico.
The censure is the latest example of conservative-backed "privileged" resolutions, which require a quick floor vote and can bypass the committee process. Furthermore, the right flank of the House GOP also has plans to force votes on several other controversial measures, as opposed to the leadership's wishes.
On Wednesday, Schiff told his Republican colleagues that he was grateful to them for introducing the resolution. He said he was honored and flattered by what he called a falsehood.
Schiff then criticized GOP members for authoring the big lie regarding last year's election and now condemning truth-tellers. He noted that the actions that Republicans have taken mean that he has been effective in defense of the country's democracy said CBS News.
