The House took the rare step Wednesday of censuring one of its own members, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, over his criticisms of then-President Donald Trump and his role in leading the first impeachment inquiry into the former president.
The 213-209 party-line vote came exactly one week after a similar effort to censure Schiff, D-Calif., was rejected after 20 Republicans joined Democrats to block the resolution over objections to a provision that called for fining him $16 million.
But the author of the resolution, freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said this week she had secured support from the 20 GOP dissenters after she removed language about a fine.
After the vote, Schiff was ordered to stand on the House floor to receive a verbal rebuke, read by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Democrats chanted “Shame!” and “Disgrace!” and heckled McCarthy.
The six-term congressman came under fire for sharing a violent animated video on his social media that was edited to depict him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and attacking President Joe Biden. Gosar hasn't apologized for the content but has taken down the video and said he doesn't condone violence. While Republicans sought to handle the matter privately, Democrats quickly coalesced around a rare censure resolution.
In a nearly party-line vote, 223-207, the House adopted the resolution that also strips Gosar of his assignments on the National Resources Committee and the Oversight and Reform Committee – a panel on which Ocasio-Cortez also serves. Only two Republicans supported the resolution: Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. And one Republican, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, voted present.
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Republicans bemoan what they describe as an overreach and a "dangerous precedent" set by the majority, arguing that this will come back to haunt them if the GOP wins back control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly called Rep. Lauren Boebert a “little bitch” during a heated argument between the two Republican firebrands on the House floor Wednesday.
The face-to-face confrontation, which was caught on C-SPAN cameras, was over the dueling resolutions both lawmakers have put forward to impeach President Biden, according to the Daily Beast.
“I’ve donated to you, I’ve defended you. But you’ve been nothing but a little bitch to me,” Greene (R-Ga.) reportedly told Boebert (R-Colo.). “And you copied my articles of impeachment after I asked you to cosponsor them.”
Nancy Pelosi slaying Republicans on the House floor is my favorite past time. pic.twitter.com/f3S11zPY0Q
— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) June 21, 2023