Anti-Trump Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is in hot water after an ethics watchdog group accused him of a rather clear violation of House rules.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) over Schiff’s use of video footage from the Senate floor for a political announcement.
Rep. Adam Schiff was hit with an ethics complaint over the use of video footage from the Senate floor. https://t.co/P3lXYyjLc2
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 28, 2023
This was tied into the California representative declaring his desire to be his state’s next senator. Besides his hatred for all things Trump, it is unclear what platform he intends to run on.
Despising a fellow political leader is hardly a compelling reason to announce one’s candidacy for the Senate.
Schiff declared Tuesday that he is running through a video posted on Twitter. Of course, he included footage of his rantings on the Senate floor during impeachment proceedings against the former president.
That, FACT asserted, is a rules violation.
Executive Director Kendra Arnold noted “this is a clear violation of House ethics rules and federal law. Rep. Schiff has been in Congress for over two decades and undoubtedly knows that official government resources cannot be used for political purposes.”
Arnold added that the congressman should promptly remove the video and that OCE “should move swiftly to investigate and sanction Rep. Schiff for this breach.”
For his part, Schiff’s office said that the video was not a violation due to it being on the Senate floor instead of the House floor. It claimed that the distinction meant that he fully complied with House ethics guidelines.
FACT disagreed with the logic, declaring that House members are banned from using either chamber for campaign purposes.
In the video, Schiff repeated his mantra that our very democracy is at risk due to the power madness of GOP leaders. Obviously looking to build on his leading role in persecuting the former president, Schiff declared his leadership in “the fight of our lives” in his run for the Senate.
It has not been a week to remember for Schiff. On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed his Golden State colleague from the powerful House Intelligence Committee. And now he faces an ethics complaint for a rather apparent rules violation.
