Letter: Schiff Censure Justified 2

Dear editor:

The only thing in Bruce Ticker’s column with which I can agree is that it is a considerable stretch to compare Congress’ censure of Adam Schiff with the mistreatment endured by Alfred Dreyfus and Leo Frank (Column: Adam Schiff’s Censure Amounts to Antisemitism, BJN 6/30/23). Both of those men were wrongfully accused and convicted of crimes that they did not commit. Frank was murdered by a lynch mob and Dreyfus served five years (of his initial sentence of life imprisonment) on Devil’s Island.

In contrast, the recently elected Republican majority censured Schiff for having led the call to impeach President Donald Trump for alleged collusion with the Russians in the 2016 election. ‘Undoubtedly there is collusion’: Trump antagonist Adam Schiff doubles down after Mueller finds no conspiracy – The Washington Post

The persistent allegations resulted in a failed effort to remove Trump from office, which was not only costly but also took attention away from more pressing matters which the Congress should have been working on. Just recently, the Durham report has been released, confirming once again, that the claim of a collusion was a hoax in which the FBI accepted unverified accusations and sought reasons to deny evidence indicating that there had been no wrongdoing on the President’s part. Special prosecutor harshly criticizes FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation but no new charges | PBS NewsHour

While Mr. Schiff may be unhappy about his having been censured, he has not been harmed by the move. Republican leaders dropped the initial call demanding that a significant fine should be imposed (they judged imposition of that fine to be a violation of the Constitution). Schiff has not lost his seat in the House of Representatives, nor has he been banned from running for Dianne Feinstein’s seat in the upcoming 2024 election.

In closing, I ask readers to consider the following. Republicans are understandably upset about the Democrats’ mistreatment of Donald Trump. Had House Republicans hesitated to censure Adam Schiff for fear of being labelled “antisemitic,” might they have been accused by antisemites of capitulating to the “Jewish lobby” that Jew haters claim has control of our government?

Toby F. Block
Atlanta, GA