CNN
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A Republican-led effort to impeach Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff has failed in a key House vote.
The House voted Wednesday on a motion to table — or kill — the resolution, a motion brought by House Democrats. Enough Republicans crossed the aisle in support of the effort to block censorship. The vote was 225 to 196, with 20 Republicans voting with Democrats to table the resolution.
The resolution of censure, sponsored by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, broadly criticizes Schiff, focusing on his role in the investigations of the former president. The freshman Republican said after the failed attempt that she would try again next week and revise her measure to attract more GOP support.
Schiff told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” Wednesday that he is not deterred by the effort.
“They can introduce all the resolutions they want, it could be 16 million or 160 million, I will not stop defending our democracy,” he said.
Republicans have long criticized Schiff over congressional investigations into the former president, arguing that he has made rash and baseless claims. Democrats have dismissed GOP criticism of the California Democrat as partisan and unfounded.
The resolution states that Schiff “exploited his positions on HPSCI (House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) to encourage and excuse abusive intelligence investigations of Americans for political purposes.”
It goes on to accuse him of “using his position and access to sensitive information to instigate an investigation based on fraud, which he then used to amass political gains and fundraising money.”
Schiff, in his letter to colleagues, called the resolution “false” and “defamatory,” and said it targeted him for his “work to hold Donald Trump accountable.”
“As honored as I am to have earned his enmity, attempting to censure those who defend the Constitution against a corrupt president sets a dangerous precedent,” Schiff wrote.
The legislative text also states that if an Ethics Committee investigation determined that Schiff “lied, misrepresented and misused sensitive information,” he would be fined $16 million.
Schiff told CNN’s Manu Raju on Tuesday that he believed the fine proposed in the resolution could be “unconstitutional and unenforceable,” and said some Republicans had expressed misgivings about possible support for the resolution.
Before the vote, Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said he would vote against the censure resolution, aligning himself with Democrats.
“Adam Schiff acted unethically, but if a resolution comes to the floor to fine him $16 million, I will vote to introduce it. (vote against) In fact, I’m still litigating a federal lawsuit against Pelosi for a pay cut imposed on me for my refusal to wear a mask,” Massie tweeted.
While serving as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Schiff announced a broad investigation in February 2019 into the finances of then-President Donald Trump and Russia.
Schiff also served as the House’s lead impeachment director during Trump’s first impeachment. In that role, Schiff and the other impeachment managers detailed the House’s case to impeach Trump at the Senate trial. Finally, the Senate voted for acquittal.
This story and headline have been updated with additional updates.
