Key Takeaways:
- The US House of Representatives voted to censure California Congressman Adam Schiff.
- The Republicans accuse Schiff of lying and misleading the public when he served as the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
- Adam Schiff led the investigation into Donald Trump’s connections with Russia and initiated his first impeachment in 2019.
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Talks about the United States being the oldest democracy in the world are not new.
But this week, that much-celebrated US democracy lies in shambles. The Kevin-McCarthy-led House of Representatives has voted to condemn California Congressman Adam Schiff for being an ardent critic of Donald Trump.
The vote occurred amid a tense atmosphere, with the Democrats slamming Speaker McCarthy and the Republicans for prosecuting their colleague.
The final tally of votes stood at 213-209. Nearly all Republicans cast their votes in favor, while Democrats unanimously opposed the measure. Six GOP lawmakers opted to vote present.
The Republicans are going after Representative Schiff because he called for an investigation into Former US President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.
What is even more scandalous is the fact that Schiff led the first impeachment of Trump in December 2019. Adam Schiff was serving as the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee at the time.
As the lead prosecutor in Trump’s initial impeachment trial, he has consistently been a prominent figure for Republicans to target politically. Kevin McCarthy promptly prevented him from assuming a seat on the intelligence panel again.
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Republicans accuse Adam Schiff of lying about Donald Trump
Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, spearheaded the initiative to censure Schiff earlier this month. She and her colleagues accuse him of exploiting his position to orchestrate a full-fledged political campaign against a sitting president.
“If Adam Schiff has a shred of human decency left, he would resign from Congress in disgrace. His tombstone should… be one word: ‘Liar,'”
she said.
This resolution marked her second endeavor to reprimand her Democratic counterpart. The previous week, a comparable censure proposal that would have mandated Adam Schiff to pay a $16 million fine or face resignation from Congress faltered. Over 20 of her Republican colleagues voted against it.
However, this time, after removing the $16 million fine clause, she was able to obtain their support.
Ahead of the vote, Speaker McCarthy claimed Adam Schiff lied about President Trump while on the House Intelligence Committee.
“Adam Schiff abused his position as Chair of Intel to lie and lead America through a national nightmare with the fake Russia collusion narrative. As Speaker, I removed him from the Intel Committee, and now the full House will vote to censure him and open an ethics investigation,”
McCarthy said ahead of the vote.
The move is one of the strongest actions the Republicans have taken in support of their leader Donald Trump. The former President faces several charges in the US courts.
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Adam Schiff remains defiant against Kevin McCarthy & Co
Before the Republicans voted to censor him, Adam Schiff showed his clear defiance. He proudly announced that he would wear the formal disapproval from Speaker McCarthy and his colleagues as a “badge of honor.” He even accused the Republicans of doing Donald Trump’s bidding.
“To my Republican colleagues who introduced this sham resolution: You honor me with your enmity. You flatter me with this falsehood. Your words tell me that I have been effective in the defense of our democracy, and I am grateful,”
Schiff said.
Several of his Democratic party colleagues joined him in denouncing the bill.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the move a “fake, phony and fraudulent” censure resolution. He alleged that the Republicans take orders from Donald Trump and do as he pleases. According to him, the resolution against Schiff is nothing but a political hit job commission by Trump.
“When he [Donald Trump] says, ‘Bend the knee,’ extreme MAGA Republicans say, ‘How high?”
he alleged.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed Jeffries’ rhetoric, calling the proceedings a “puppet show.”
“The other side has turned this chamber into a puppet show. And you know what? The puppeteer, Donald Trump, is shining a light on the strings. You look miserable. You look miserable,”
the former House Speaker lashed out.
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Although passed, the resolution has no binding impact. It is just an attempt to name and shame a colleague in politics.
Meanwhile, the concerns of the Republicans are not entirely unfounded. Despite all the political storm, Trump’s impeachment caused, the US agencies are yet to present undisputed evidence that proves the Republican leader collided with Russian authorities.
