The New Senate Majority Leader Must Muzzle Adam Schiff
Schiff has disqualified himself from defense-related committee assignments in the U.S. Senate.
Originally published at American Greatness (November 15, 2024)
With the GOP’s regained Senate majority, the freshly-branded Majority Leader John Thune has a mountain of work ahead of him once he takes the gavel. He must confirm President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees, pass legislation securing the border, and extend the expiring 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act benefiting more than 80% of individual taxpayers.
But before any legislating can happen, the Senate must choose the membership of its committees. Thune must use his authority as Majority Leader to limit the committee assignments of one newly elected Senator: Democrat Adam Schiff of California.
Schiff must be denied a position on any of the body’s committees centered around national security, intelligence, or foreign affairs, and any subcommittees that intersect with these areas. Schiff’s conduct on such a committee in the House of Representatives disqualifies him from any significant decision- or policy-making roles related to the defense and global standing of the United States.
Schiff knowingly peddled lies accusing Donald Trump’s campaign of colluding with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election, using his position on the House Intelligence Committee and access to classified information to affirm its veracity. This includes his time as its chairman. Schiff claimed “more than circumstantial evidence” of the plot even as the committee interviewed numerous Obama Administration officials who admitted there was no direct evidence of Trump or his staff working with Russians. Only weeks before the Mueller report concluded Russian collusion was nonexistent, Schiff continued to insist, “You can see evidence in plain sight on the issue of collusion, pretty compelling evidence.” It was obvious then and even more obvious in hindsight that Schiff’s motive was to discredit and weaken President Trump, all at the expense of the United States’ international standing and an already fractured American public following a contentious election.
When Republicans reclaimed control of the House two years ago, they took appropriate action against Schiff. Speaker Kevin McCarthy refused to reinstate Schiff’s membership on the Intelligence Committee, citing his “misuse of [the] panel,” undermining its role in national security and related oversight. Furthermore, the House censured Schiff for his lies, although he was anything but chastened.Politics doesn’t stop at the water’s edge for Adam Schiff, and the Senate must respond. It is within the Senate’s authority to reject committee memberships—Rule XXIV of the Rules of the Senate allows any Senator to demand a vote on the appointment of committee members. New Senate Majority Leader Thune must make use of this rule to firmly repudiate Schiff to strengthen the security of the United States.
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