Republicans Who Vote Against Schiff Censure Should Be Primaried, Trump Demands

Former President Donald Trump has called for any Republican member of the U.S. House who votes against censuring U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to be primaried in November.

Earlier this week, 20 Republicans voted with Democrats to kill a motion to censure and fine Schiff $16 million for his role in spinning the Russian collusion hoax.

As House Judiciary Committee Chair, Schiff repeatedly stated that he had seen “smoking gun evidence” of collusion between Trump and the Russian government. “I don’t want to go into specifics, but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial. But as I’ve said all along, there’s plenty of evidence of collusion,” he told Meet The Press in 2017.

This turned out to be a lie, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller unequivocally stated that there was “no collusion” between Trump and Russian intelligence agencies.

Last month, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced the motion to fine and censure Schiff.  “Knowingly using your position on House Intel to push a lie that ripped apart our country, cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and authorized spying on a US President and then proceeding to double down on the lie within days of the Durham report coming out makes you unfit for office,” the Florida congresswoman wrote in a tweet dated May 18. “Ethics should investigate.”

The motion was unsuccessful when it came to a vote this past Wednesday, however, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats to vote against. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was among them, stating that he took issue with the constitutionality of imposing such a fine. He has since stated that he and other dissenting Republicans are prepared to vote to censure Schiff without the fine.

If they do not follow through, former President Trump has called for those Republicans to be primaried. “Anna Paulina Luna is a STAR. She never gives up, especially in holding total lowlifes like Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff responsible for their lies, deceit, deception, and actually putting our Country at great risk, for which he should be imprisoned!” Trump wrote in a TruthSocial post on Friday.

“He is a Leaker and a Scoundrel. Any Republican voting against his CENSURE, or worse, should immediately be primaried. There are plenty of great candidates out there!”

Many of the Republicans who opted to vote with Democrats hail from deep red districts, including U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson (R-ID), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Kay Granger (R-TX), among others.

Rep. Luna plans to reintroduce the motion without the fine in the coming weeks.