Lauren Boebert is very weird. In recent remarks in Congress, she began ranting about Adam Schiff’s tombstone, which, uh… what? Why are you talking about his death, Congresswoman? Imagine the right-wing frenzy that would instantly erupt if some prominent Democrat started talking about Donald Trump’s tombstone.
She was speaking in the context of debate over a proposal to censure Schiff, which the House eventually passed. Censure is just a formal rebuke, not actually providing much beyond that level, though the terms of Republicans’ push also demanded an investigation from the House Ethics Committee.
“When Adam Schiff got caught lying, he did what all liars do and tried to cover the truth even more,” Boebert claimed to her colleagues. “In order to restore the trustworthiness of the House of Representatives, every Member should vote to censure Adam Schiff so that we can speak with one voice to assure the American people that these lies will not be tolerated… If Adam Schiff has a shred of human decency left, he would resign from Congress in disgrace. His tombstone should read of his failed career in Congress and should be one word: liar.” Again… that’s so weird.
Boebert was immediately followed by Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who’s currently the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. That role was previously held by Schiff himself, but the California Democrat, who is now running for Senate in his home state in a bid to replace retiring incumbent Dianne Feinstein, was pushed out of that position (alongside Eric Swalwell) by Republicans.
Himes pointed out the real-world behavior that House Republicans were essentially ignoring as they obsess over Schiff and others in that corner of politics. (First-term Florida GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who sponsored the censure move, has introduced at least five resolutions related to Schiff.)
“Mr. Speaker, I just heard the gentleman from Virginia say that this is not a censure of Donald Trump, and he is right about that, and, boy, is he right about that because there is no behavior–not a discussion of how he would handle women, not an attack on this Capitol, and not the misuse of classified information–that will ever result in a peep from the Republican majority much less a censure of that behavior,” Himes said. He also referenced actions by New York Republican George Santos, concluding: “The most important thing I can say is that I sat next to Adam Schiff for years. He is a man of integrity and dignity. This vote, quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, is a testament to your dignity or lack thereof.”
