This Wednesday, a wave of dissent swept over House Democrats as their colleague, Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff of California, found himself on the receiving end of the House’s formal disapproval – a censure. Schiff was reprimanded for allegedly disseminating false claims regarding former President Donald Trump. Notably, censure is the gravest form of admonishment a House member can face without resorting to expulsion.
This punitive measure was the brainchild of Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, with the House resolution being narrowly approved in a 213-209 vote, as per Axios. Republican Rep. Ken Buck from Colorado and all five GOP members of the House Ethics Committee chose to remain neutral on this matter, casting a “present” vote.
However, the House Democrats formed a solid front, collectively opposing the censure of Schiff.
The charged atmosphere saw House Speaker Kevin McCarthy barely managing to read a portion of the censure resolution before a cacophony of Democratic heckling drowned him out. This prompted McCarthy to leave the chamber, as reported by The Associated Press.
Greg Price of the State Freedom Caucus Network took to Twitter to relay the dramatic scene, comparing the Democrats’ vehement protestation to a “5-minute temper tantrum.” They barraged McCarthy with “shame,” refusing to let him complete reading the resolution, he said.
The Democrats didn’t hold back in their critique of McCarthy, dubbing him a “spiteful coward” and “weak.” In an escalating escalation, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York went as far as calling for McCarthy’s removal from his position.
Meanwhile, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the vote as a mere “puppet show,” with Trump as the alleged “puppeteer.” She also directed a jibe at Luna, remarking, “You look miserable.”
Luna, however, remained steadfast in her stance, criticizing Schiff for launching a political campaign replete with “baseless distortions” against a sitting U.S. President. She portrayed the vote to censure Schiff as a choice between “right and wrong,” imploring her fellow representatives to “do the right thing.”
Emphasizing the gravity of the decision, Luna declared, “Running away from this opportunity to hold this man accountable would betray the people who trusted us and sent us here [to Congress] to do the right thing.”
The censure resolution accused Schiff of spreading the unfounded notion of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia. It also highlighted instances where Schiff allegedly misled the public and acted dishonorably, such as denying that his staff had communicated with a whistleblower in the initial impeachment process against President Trump.
As ABC News noted, this is a rare incident. Since 2000, only two other House members – Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and former Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York – have faced censure.
