The House of Representatives censored Rep. Adam Schiff in a party line, 213-209 vote Wednesday, and the Burbank Democrat seemed elated.

The censorship was a victory for Donald Trump, who had

called for

primary challenges for all Republicans who voted against, and an indication of the former president’s continued grip on the GOP. But

Schiff, a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, did not particularly oppose the effort

to formally chastise him.

He told The Times he has not started talks with Republicans in the past week to sway their votes; he has called the censorship a “sign of honor” and has already begun using the free publicity to fuel his Senate campaign.

“Roosevelt said you can judge a man by the enemies he makes,” Schiff said in an interview with The Times on Wednesday before the vote. “By that standard, I’m doing a damn good job.”

Members of Congress rebuke their colleagues to humiliate them, but

financial crimes

censored politicians do not automatically face discipline or repercussions, only shame and public discredit.

When the votes were cast Wednesday afternoon, Democrats tried to reverse that bad reputation by shouting “shame” at their GOP colleagues. “Santos! Censor Santos!” yelled Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, referring to her Republican colleague who has pleaded not guilty to

federal fraud allegations

.

Rep. Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna led the GOP effort to censor Schiff, arguing that he had

song about Russia’s involvement in the 2016 elections and which he had

deceived

the public by insisting that Trump “colluded” with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election over Trump

.

Luna wrote in the resolution that “the allegation that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 presidential election has been exposed as false by numerous in-depth investigations.” Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference found no evidence that Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russian interference in the 2016 election

.

Ship defended his position on the House floor on Wednesday. The censorship resolution, he said, “would mean that when you give internal campaign poll data to a Russian intelligence agent, while Russian intelligence is helping your campaign as Trump’s campaign chairman did, you can’t call that collusion, although that’s the correct name. , as the country well knows.”

The resolution describes Schiff as dishonest, dishonorable and misleading, and calls for an ethics committee investigation into his conduct.

Luna introduced one

different

version of the measure last week, but that effort failed after 20 Republicans voted with Democrats to introduce the measure. Florida congresswoman wins over colleagues after she cuts $16 million fine from censorship text

added> and Trump made his main threat

.

Schiff can use the publicity and associated funds in a hotly contested Senate race. On Tuesday night, he had his campaign text server destroyed and asked for donations: “Please hurry with an urgent donation to help me fight back against this political onslaught so we can get back to serving the real needs of our country,” he wrote. The congresswoman pulled in $6.5 million in the first quarter of 2023, but Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, his closest competitor at the moment, wasn’t far behind with $4.5 million.

With just over a week of fundraising to go this quarter, and with nine months to day one, a rousing day of declarations and emotions could give Schiff a political boost.

“It’s the best thing that could have happened to him,” said Mike Madrid, a Republican political consultant and co-founder of the

anti trump

Lincoln project. “It is the largest in-kind contribution he can receive.”

The House previously censored Rep. Paul Gosar in November 2021 for

tweet

a manipulated video of him revealing himself to Rep. Alexandria kills Ocasio-Cortez and attacks Biden. The chamber convicted Rep. Charles Rangel for various financial violations, and it convicted Gerry Studds and Daniel Crane in 1983 of sexual misconduct with a House Page.

In the past 40 years, Schiff is only the fifth representative to be censored, a distinction that, Madrid stressed, amounts to just a piece of paper.

“Censorship is just a resolution,” he said. ‘It’s just a document. Okay, you’re censoring me. Awesome.’

After Democrats failed to pass Luna’s motion in the early afternoon, the House went into a contentious back and forth, with speeches criticizing Schiff’s record interspersed with glowing reviews of his career.

Top California Democrats defended Schiff, describing him as an experienced colleague whom Republicans turned to to appease Trump.

Nancy Pelosi called Schiff “great” and accused GOP House members of wasting their time.

“The other side has turned this room into a puppet show,” Pelosi said. ‘A puppet show, and you know what? The puppeteer, Donald Trump, shines a light on the strings. You look miserable. Miserable.’

On the other side of the country, some Democrats welcome the news.

Los Angeles East Area Progressive Democrats president Hans Johnson said members of his club believe the censorship vote is a “political maneuver” that has no basis whatsoever. He believes the development will at least help the congressman’s case.

Schiff sometimes lacks the “showiness of his advocacy and his service” that Porter and Lee have, Johnson said. A house floor censorship would help.

“It raises his profile and just makes him a hotter commodity in Washington,” Johnson said. “Sometimes the adversaries increase credentials and earn badges from the people on the target.”

Johnson’s club is still finalizing its approval for the race. Johnson said the censorship could have an “incremental” effect on the club’s side.

“I think Californians respect the fact that I’m in the middle of this fight and I’m taking all the attacks to defend our democracy,” Schiff said. “That’s what they’re looking for in the Senate.” In the final hours before Tuesday night’s vote, Schiff was not hopeful about avoiding censorship. The failed table vote to introduce the measure indicated that Luna had garnered enough support. “I’m assuming they’ll have the votes because Donald Trump has threatened to give priority to any of those who vote against,” Schiff said. “And the only consistent feature of the Republicans in the House is their unwavering commitment and quick obedience to the whims of the disgraced former president. And I don’t think today will be any different.”

Republicans are targeting a number of politicians this week. The successful ship censor opens the door to a number of possible maneuvers, including a vote for

Trump

to take off

vote

President Biden. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) are now introducing resolutions or plans to impeach the president.

The three representatives and Luna are all members of the House Freedom caucus. Members of the caucus compete for the most extreme, California Representative Pete Aguilar suggested Wednesday morning.

“Whether it is Paulina Luna, or Lauren Boebert, or Marjorie Taylor Green… these are individuals who to this day are questioning the results of free and fair elections in 2020,” Aguilar told reporters. “They try to outsmart and outdo each other by taking measures to accuse, expel and censor.”

Kate Maeder, a Democratic strategist who led the campaign of California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, said most California voters don’t care about the censorship, but “it will help Schiff raise money.” Californians will see a clearer picture of the race and whether the censorship has had a financial impact next month when the campaigns release their second-quarter fundraising numbers. Porter’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the censorship vote; Rep. Barbara Lee wrote in a statement that Wednesday was an example of the GOP continuing to “spread the big lie.” “They are proving time and time again that they are more concerned about Fox News performances than about strengthening our democracy, and this resolution is just their latest stunt,” Lee said. “It’s embarrassing.