A Republican lawmaker believes Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) should have to pay a huge penalty for lying about having evidenced that former President Donald Trump ‘colluded’ with Russia to ‘steal’ the 2016 election.
As reported by Fox News, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced a resolution that would fine Schiff $16 million for his false claims, which she believes helped fuel subsequent baseless investigations paid for by American taxpayers.
Luna says that the amount represents roughly half of the expenses incurred during the federal investigations into the false allegations. It is important to note that both special counsel reports, conducted by Robert Mueller and John Durham, have debunked the claims, though, for years, Schiff said he had “evidence” backing them up.
“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 Russia hoax investigation.”
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
Her resolution said as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the California Democrat was in a position of “extreme trust” which allowed him access to sensitive information not available to other members.
However, she noted further that Schiff “abused this trust” by “citing evidence of collusion that later special counsel reports showed did not exist,” Fox News noted.
“By repeatedly telling these falsehoods, Representative Schiff purposely deceived his Committee, Congress, and the American people,” the resolution said. It further states that Schiff “lent credibility” to several aspects of the collusion claim, including the so-called “Steele dossier,” a FISA warrant against former Trump adviser Carter Page, and the public accusation that Page was a Russian asset.
“Representative Schiff exploited his positions on HPSCI to encourage and excuse abusive intelligence investigations of Americans for political purposes,” the resolution states. “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.”
“American taxpayers paid $32 million to fund the investigation into collusion that was launched as a result of Rep. Schiff’s lies, misrepresentations, and abuses of sensitive information,” it added.
The resolution “censures and condemns” Schiff for “conduct that misleads the American people in a way that is not befitting an elected Member of the House” while declaring that Schiff be fined $16 million.
“It is the obligation of House Leadership to back up this motion for the American people and hold this feckless man accountable,” Luna said.
Her resolution comes on the heels of a move last week by the Florida Republican to have Schiff expelled from Congress over his fake claims.
