The House on Wednesday rejected a GOP-backed effort to censure Rep. Adam Schiff, with almost two dozen Republican lawmakers bucking their party’s attempt to publicly rebuke the California Democrat.
In a 225-196 vote, the House set aside the censure resolution introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., to censure Schiff over his role in the House investigation into Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.
Twenty Republicans joined Democrats in the tabling Luna’s measure, effectively blocking a vote on the censure resolution itself. Two Republicans and five Democrats voted present.
The resolution was privileged, meaning the Republican-controlled House was compelled to bring it up by Thursday. A censure resolution requires a simple majority to pass. Had it been successful, Schiff would have been required to stand in the well of the House to receive a verbal rebuke.
In a statement announcing the resolution, Luna said the $16 million figure was picked because it was half the cost of the Mueller investigation.
Schiff blasted the resolution in a Tuesday letter to colleagues, obtained by NBC News, that called on Democrats to advocate against the motion which he said was an “attempt to gratify the former President’s MAGA allies” and a “terrible misuse of House precedent and resources.”
“This is political payback. But they also hope to intimidate and silence, not just me but others, and in that they are going to be singularly unsuccessful,” said Schiff, who is running for a Senate seat, told NBC News on Tuesday. “Whatever happens with this resolution, I’m not gonna back down and I will continue to hold them and to hold Donald Trump accountable.”
As former President Donald Trump was arraigned at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana tweeted his support for the resolution.
The vote comes months after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blocked Schiff and another California Democrat, Rep. Eric Swalwell from serving on the intelligence panel.
Kyle Stewart, Ryan Nobles and Kate Santaliz contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
