Standing up to the reprehensible and basically treasonous lies perpetuated by leading Democrats in Congress, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced a resolution that seeks to impose a $16 million fine on Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for his unsubstantiated claims of collusion between former President Trump and Russia during the 2016 election.
Luna argues that this amount represents approximately half of the total cost incurred by American taxpayers for the federal investigation into the debunked Trump-Russia collusion narrative, as confirmed by special counsel reports from Robert Mueller and John Durham.
Luna, along with the GOP Conference, asserts that Adam Schiff has flagrantly breached the trust of the American people, abused his positions of authority, and engaged in a consistent pattern of falsehoods.
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I just filed a privileged resolution, H. Res. 437, to censure, condemn, & fine Rep. Adam Schiff $16 million (1/2 the cost of Russia investigation) for his egregious abuse of trust.
I, with my GOP colleagues, look forward to an imminent vote to hold this feckless man accountable. pic.twitter.com/JhMvgeKMZJ
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) May 23, 2023
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“The GOP Conference agrees that Adam Schiff has betrayed the trust of the American people, purposely abused positions of extreme authority, lied continuously, and as such, must be held to account,” Luna said. “Accordingly, the resolution requires Rep. Schiff to pay a $16 million dollar fine, half of the cost American taxpayers were forced to pay for the
Highlighting Schiff’s role as the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the resolution underscores the significant level of trust bestowed upon him and the access to sensitive information that this position provides.
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However, it accuses Schiff of manipulating this trust by repeatedly promoting false narratives of collusion, which were ultimately disproven by special counsel reports.
Related: Trump Responds After Damning Durham Report Released: ‘Must Be a Heavy Price to Pay’
The resolution states, “By repeatedly telling these falsehoods, Representative Schiff purposely deceived his Committee, Congress, and the American people.”
It further points out that Schiff lent credibility to the controversial Steele dossier, supported a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against Trump aide Carter Page, and publicly labeled Page as a Russian collaborator.
“Representative Schiff exploited his positions on HPSCI to encourage and excuse abusive intelligence investigations of Americans for political purposes,” it said.
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“Representative Schiff used his position and access to sensitive information to instigate a fraudulently based investigation, which he then used to amass political gain and fundraising dollars,” the resolution continued.
Drawing attention to the financial burden placed on American taxpayers, the resolution highlights that $32 million was spent on the collusion investigation initiated as a direct result of Schiff’s lies, misrepresentations, and mishandling of sensitive information.
As a consequence, the resolution both censures and condemns Schiff for his misleading conduct, declaring it unbecoming of an elected Member of the House. In addition to censure, it proposes a $16 million fine to hold Schiff accountable for his actions.
Luna, steadfast in her convictions, emphasizes the need for House Leadership to support this motion on behalf of the American people. Luna explains, “It is the obligation of House Leadership to back up this motion for the American people and hold this feckless man accountable.”
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Earlier, Luna had introduced a separate resolution seeking to expel Schiff from Congress for his abuses of power within the intelligence committee.
Recent findings from John Durham’s report, released last week, revealed significant failures within the FBI and a lack of evidence to support allegations of coordination between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
Related: Biden Campaign Tied to Dismissal of Hunter’s Laptop as Russian Disinformation, Investigation Reveals
In response to Luna’s resolution, Schiff characterized it as “payback” for his commitment to upholding the rule of law and holding President Trump accountable.
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Schiff, who is currently running for the Senate, remarked on Twitter, “A MAGA Republican Member of Congress just filed a motion to expel me from the U.S. House of Representatives. I stood up to Donald Trump and held extreme MAGA forces accountable. Now they want payback. They’ll go after anyone who defends the rule of law.”
MAGA extremists just filed a motion to censure and fine me $16 million because I stood up to Donald Trump and his allies.
They’re 8 days away from defaulting on our debt, but Speaker McCarthy and his MAGA allies would rather try to silence me.
But I’m not backing down. Ever.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 23, 2023
Schiff lied then and he is lying now. Let’s hope the Republicans are relentless at going after all those who perpetuated and pushed forward the Trump-Russia collusion story which, at the end of the day, is election interference and treason.