Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took over the mic to lambaste her colleagues on the House floor on Wednesday as the lower chamber sought to formally censure Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-era probes.
Pelosi’s comments came just hours before GOP lawmakers voted to censure Schiff, who led the investigation into former US President Donald Trump over his alleged ties to Russia during his term as president. Since passed, the measure now prompts the House Ethics Committee to examine Schiff’s actions during that period.
“Today we are on the floor of the House, where the other side has turned this body, this chamber: where slavery was abolished, where Medicare and social security and everything were instituted, they’ve turned it into a puppet show. A puppet show,” Pelosi said.
“And you know what?” Pelosi added. “The puppeteer, Donald Trump, is shining a light on the strings. You look miserable.”
“The only advantage to all of this is that instead of reversing what we did on the [Inflation Reduction Act] to save the planet, or reverse what we did to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, you’re wasting time,” Pelosi concluded.
The first attempt to censure Schiff failed last week when 20 Republicans sided with Democrats to block the resolution, which accuses the representative of misleading the American people. The House erupted with Democrats jeering as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy attempted to read out the resolution and later the vote results.
The resolution was first sponsored by a Trump ally, Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) but was near instantly trashed after Republicans took issue with a $16 million fine attached to the measure. Their backing was later earned after the fine was removed.