On Tuesday, Republican legislators upped the ante on their demands to hold Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) accountable for his role in the now-discredited Russian collusion investigation.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced a privileged resolution to "censure, condemn, and fine" Schiff $16 million, which is half the cost of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Schiff had conducted a similar investigation as the head of the House Intelligence Committee.
"I just filed a privileged resolution, H. Res. 437, to censure, condemn, and fine Rep. Adam Schiff $16 million (1/2 the cost of the Russia investigation) for his egregious abuse of trust," Luna announced on Twitter. She added that she and her Republican colleagues now look forward to an imminent vote to "hold this feckless man accountable".
Luna had also filed a motion to expel Schiff last week in light of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) report detailing the FBI's improper behavior in its investigations prior to the 2016 presidential election. The report cast doubt on the legitimacy of the FBI's inquiries and is largely viewed as a vindication of President Trump's claims of the inquiry being a politically motivated partisan witch-hunt.
Many Republicans had been adamant about holding Schiff responsible for having promoted unfounded claims regarding President Trump and his alleged involvement in the Russian interference.
"Schiff lied to the American people. He used his position on House Intel to push a lie that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars," Luna said. "He is a dishonor to the House of Representatives", she added.
In a statement released in response to Luna's initial motion, Schiff slammed his Republican critics, accusing them of attempting to "go after anyone who defends the rule of law".
Given that Schiff has cast himself as one of the premier spokesmen of the Democratic Party, his feud with Republicans might also have a political agenda. After all, the California Democrat has announced he is running for former Senator Dianne Feinstein's seat in 2024 - thus, the heat being directed at him could be aimed at sidelining him in the race.
In any case, House Republicans appear aiming to send a strong message by essentially establishing a financial penalty for those engaging in improper use of authority. The fate of the motion remains to be seen, as political heavyweights such as House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) have also demanded consequences for Schiff's "unacceptable" behavior.