The legacy media is running cover for Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., after he was censured by House Republicans for repeatedly claiming he had seen "evidence" of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
Schiff was condemned by his GOP colleagues Wednesday for "misleading the American public" pertaining to the Russian collusion narrative, which was dismantled by both the Mueller and Durham probes.
During the Trump years, the media rolled out the red carpet for Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. When he repeatedly claimed that he had seen "evidence" of collusion, many news outlets had reason to believe what he said was credible.
But despite the flop of the Russiagate narrative, Schiff still found refuge among the liberal press.
CENSURED MEDIA DARLING ADAM SCHIFF USED LIBERAL TV PLATFORMS TO PEDDLE ‘COLLUSION’ CLAIMS FOR YEARS
The Washington Post editorial board panned the reasoning behind House Republican efforts to censure Schiff, saying the "semantic question" of what collusion technically means "is hardly the basis for a censure motion."
"They weakened the power of congressional censure as an official rebuke reserved for egregious conduct — and, in the process, made themselves appear to be the wrongdoers," the Post editorial board wrote.
The New York Times attempted to whitewash the reasoning for the historic censure, running the headline "House Censures Adam Schiff Over His Role Investigating Trump."
"The G.O.P.-led House formally censured Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, on Wednesday over his role investigating former President Donald J. Trump, the first in what could be a series of votes seeking to punish those whom Republicans have deemed the party’s enemies," the Times framed its report.
CBS News also watered down its framing with "House votes to censure Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump investigations," burying any mention of Schiff's collusion claims until the tenth paragraph. NBC News ran a similar headline but told readers Schiff was censured "over his criticisms of then-President Donald Trump and his role in leading the first impeachment inquiry into the former president." The Associated Press went with "In rowdy scene, House censures Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations," telling readers in its opening paragraph that Schiff was censured "for comments he made several years ago about investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia," delaying reference to the collusion claims to the tenth paragraph.
The Daily Beast did the same with its report titled "Dems Chant ‘Shame!’ as House Censures Schiff Over Trump Inquiries," refraining from using the word "collusion" until the ninth paragraph and that was only to quote Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the lawmaker who introduced the censure vote. Axios didn't even mention the word in its report titled "House votes to censure Trump antagonist Adam Schiff," telling readers "It’s a significant rebuke of a vocal Trump critic by the House Republican majority." HuffPost ran the headline "GOP Muscles Censure Of Trump Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff Through The House."
SCHIFF GLOATS ON ‘THE VIEW’ ABOUT CENSURE: ‘I’M DOING PRETTY DAMN WELL'
CNN's S.E. Cupp, formerly known as a right-of-center voice for the liberal network, accused House Republicans of "staging a very theatrical grievance politics performance meant to satisfy a blood-thirsty base that's seemingly far more interested in revenge than problem-solving or legislation."
Cupp dismissed Schiff's collusion claims as merely "comments he made several years ago" and that censuring him was simply an effort by the GOP to "punish its opponents, even for years-old offenses, even if the effort is purely symbolic."
Vox, which originally ran the headline "Republicans’ vindictive censure of Adam Schiff, explained," similarly claimed the GOP is "so eager for political revenge," writing "Though the censure was framed as being about holding Schiff accountable, it’s ultimately part of a broader Republican political strategy. Many conservative voters and lawmakers want retribution after House Democrats launched two impeachment efforts against Trump, censured Rep. Paul Gosar and removed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees."
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough attacked House Republicans as "insurrectionists, weirdos and freaks" and claimed "they can't tell us why" they censured Schiff, suggesting his crime was investigating Russia's interference in 2016.
Steve Benen, producer of "The Rachel Maddow Show," went even further, claiming Schiff was censured "for telling Republicans inconvenient truths" and writing on MSNBC's website, "At its core, the partisan anti-Schiff tantrum comes down to a simple truth: Republicans, even now, still don’t want to accept the legitimacy of the Trump/Russia scandal. The point of these punishments is to punish Schiff for exposing facts the GOP found politically inconvenient."
Rolling Stone framed its report to embarrass Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., running the headline "McCarthy Heckled as He Read Republicans’ Censure of Adam Schiff."
Schiff, who is currently running for Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat, has been fundraising off the censure vote and essentially launched a full-on media tour basking in the attention.
During an interview with Schiff ahead of the vote, MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace offered him a defense, claiming the Mueller report did in fact conclude that the Trump campaign collude with Russia and even echoed Schiff's own talking point that what transpired in 2016 may not amount to criminal conduct. The report concluded there was no evidence of coordination or conspiracy between Trump's campaign and the Kremlin, however.
One of the most sycophantic pro-Democratic voices in cable news, Wallace complained at another point Schiff was punished for having the "audacity to tell the truth."
"Why do you think [House Republicans] are so obsessed with bringing this up and punishing you?" Wallace asked Schiff.
CNN's Anderson Cooper gently asked Schiff if he had "any regret" with his handling of the Russia investigation, failing to specifically mention the countless times the lawmaker claimed to have seen "evidence" of collusion.
On Thursday, Schiff didn't exactly face a tough grilling from the ladies of "The View," being asked questions why he's being censured before his scandal-plagued colleague Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., and other unrelated topics. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin even told Schiff that GOP lawmakers privately complained to her that the vote was taking place, and none of the hosts asked him about his rhetoric during the Russia investigation.
The "View" crowd cheered as Schiff at one point said he was doing "pretty damn well."
