Adam Schiff Calls House Censure ‘A Badge of Honor’
Democrat who pursued accountability for Trump says he "would do it all over again"
Although he became just the third member of Congress this century to be censured, Rep Adam Schiff remains unchastened for his years'-long pursuit of justice for Donald Trump.
The narrow House majority rammed through a censure of the California Democrat Wednesday on a bare 213-209 vote.
No Democrats voted for the censure of Schiff, and after Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy gaveled the vote, but the House burst into a moment of chaos as angry Democrats chanted, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”
This was the Republicans’ second attempt to censure Schiff. The first vote failed when some Republicans balked at the $1.6 million fine attached to the censure.
Those members were worried such a fine was unconstitutional and that fine was stripped out and the new version — the one approved by Republicans Wednesday — was brought to the floor.
Republicans punished Schiff — currently running in a field of candidates to succeed retiring Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) — for pursuing accountability for Trump which began with looking at collusion between the former president's 2016 campaign and top Russian officials.
Schiff also took a lead in probing Trump's handling of security technology bound for Ukraine which was held up by Trump and resulted in the first impeachment of the former president, in which then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped him as lead prosecutor.
Schiff was clear, following the vote, that he doesn't regret his role pursuing Trump.
“Well, look, it’s a badge of honor. As [President Franklin Delano] Roosevelt said in his time, sometimes you can judge a person by the enemies they make,” This was a MAGA resolution that Donald Trump threatened, if any Republican voted against, as many had last week, that they would be subject to a primary challenge. So, this is basically Trump and MAGA world going after someone they think is effective in standing up to them. So, I feel like I’ve earned their opposition and was proud to stand with all my Democratic colleagues and oppose this flagrant abuse of the House process.”
It was a former host at Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, who argued that the punishment of censure has been debased in the House.
“We live in the United States of Diversion, where people live in their own little bubbles. And Adam Schiff, they don’t know who he is,” O'Reilly told Chris Cuomo on Cuomo's evening program. “But the important thing is, not long ago, censure in the House of Representatives meant something.
“It was stigma. Now it is not, okay?” O'Reilly added.
Please support our work…
Also, please subscribe…