Abby Zimet, Common Dreams

Talk about "conduct unbecoming": A vengeful, ignominious GOP just barely passed a farcical censure resolution against Adam Schiff for doing his duty, confronting "one of the most egregious abuses of presidential power in our history," and spearheading Trump's impeachment. As furious Dems blasted the rare censure as "deflection, retaliation, and distraction" from Trump's crimes, a stately Schiff dismissed "this hollow sop to the MAGA crowd" and thanked a clownish GOP for placing him "among the truth-tellers."

Wednesday's censure squeaked through a bitterly divided House on a 213-209 vote - with six GOPers voting present - as rowdy Democrats shouted "Shame!" and "Disgrace!" and Kevin McCarthy tried to quell the chaos by repeatedly, vainly commanding, "The House will be in order." (Warren, you are missed). "Out of order!” thundered Dems. Meanwhile, disgusted observers wondered "what the absolute fuck backwards-ass country do we live in" when the honorable Schiff is attacked for exposing Trump's collusion with Russia in 2016 while the malevolent likes of "Marjorie Shit For Brains, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, and George Santos" remain untouched. Add to the list far-right goon and freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who introduced the resolution last week not as a wacko partisan hatchet job but a "clear vote between right and wrong"; it failed when 20 Repubs failed to support it, but many of them flipped when she re-introduced it stripped of the bizarre $16 million fine she wanted Schiff to pay. Still, she was ripped by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), who cited her deeply unimpressive record: "Five out of the six legislative items she’s ever introduced are about Adam Schiff. I mean, doesn’t she have anything better to do? Like, I don’t know - help her district?"

Still, here was boot-licking McCarthy, trying to look like a serious person, declaring that Schiff must appear in the House well for "a pronouncement of censure" for "misleading the American public," to be followed by an "ethics investigation" into "his falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuse of sensitive information" during what he's called "a national nightmare with the fake Russia collusion narrative." Bullshit, retorted the adults in the room. Nancy Pelosi called it "a puppet show." Hakeem Jeffries decried a "fake, phony and fraudulent" resolution from a "do-nothing Republican-controlled Congress." Noted Dan Goldman, "You are the party of George Santos. Who are you holding accountable?" Said Eric Swalwell, "It's pathetic you're doing this. Pathetic." Jamie Raskinshredded "a Lunar Resolution" that's "a weapon of mass distraction" from Trump's 37 felony charges for storing classified documents "in his bathroom, his bedroom, and beyond." (LOL). He also cited the mobster's threats to anyone who dares defy him, and the shabby relative moral universe the GOP inhabits when "they have to change the subject from one of Donald Trump's current offenses against America to one of his older offenses" - that of welcoming Russian interference in our elections....

Still, until that latest string of debacles, he'd been getting away with a lot for a guy who'd been long digging a brazenly illegal hole - or more accurately warren - that should have landed him in prison decades ago. Maintaining the delusion he and his cult followers are above the law, he just made a video for a "Patriot Freedom Project Holiday Open House" - yes, MTG named it - to support those poor people in jail for trying to overthrow the government on Jan. 6. "It's a very unfair situation, and we're going to (be) looking about it and talking about it very, very strongly," he babbled, playing his air accordion. He escaped unscathed from the Dining-With-Nazis-and-Urging-We-Terminate-the-Constitution fiasco thanks to reptilian Republicans who could only stammer out a limp "the question is how we move forward" and people will "take into consideration a statement like this." Mainstream media wasn't much better: Two days later, on Page 13, the New York Times reported his call for terminating the Constitution "draws rebukes." Twitter: "Hitler's plan to exterminate the Jews draws rebukes." And the frantic rants of HOAX AND SCAM AND FRAUD! kept coming.

This week, things got more real, in part thanks to Special Counsel and "weaponized monster" Jack Smith, who's "hit the ground running" - so much so that, despite fears about how long it would take to gather a team, do his research etc, just two work days after being appointed he sent grand jury subpoenas to officials in 3 swing states (Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin) where fake electors tried to help do the coup thing, seeking all communications with Trump or his lackeys. Smith will run the DOJ investigations into both Jan. 6 and the stolen documents. By all accounts, he is Trump's worst nightmare: A 30-year-veteran prosecutor who began his career at the New York D.A.'s office, he has specialized in public corruption and organized crime cases, headed criminal litigation for 100 prosecutors in violent crime and financial fraud cases, run the DOJ's public integrity unit; since 2018, he's been chief prosecutor for the ICC in The Hague for war crimes and genocide. Colleagues describe "a person of action" who "operates very quickly," "knows how to prove a case," "leaves no stone unturned," will "do what he's going to do," and is a "literally insane" cyclist and triathlete.

He's also hilarious, or at least his (parody) Twitter feed is. It includes gags - "Her: Hon, can you take out the trash? Me: What do you think I'm working on? Her: I meant the trash in the kitchen. Me: Oh" - updates - "It's raining subpoenas out there. Please dress accordingly" - communiques - "Dear Florida man, Please refrain from making any extended travel plans over the holidays" - musings from "Future inmate #11780: At least they're not talking about me having dinner with Nazis anymore" - "beard-tingling" meltdowns at him busy committng more sedition as "here we are busy building a case for sedition." Mostly, it's an incisive account of the job, from Mar-A-Lago tour - "The stories are true. Bedbugs the size of tangerines" - to greetings to "anyone not in the crosshairs of the DOJ, Congress, IRS, D.A.s in Georgia and New York, Jean Carroll..." Ie: "Sent Merrick a first draft of indictment this morning. He said 'FOREVER' wasn't an appropriate sentencing recomendation. Killjoy." "Cold rainy day. Might settle in by the fireplace, read some transcripts and brush up on the Espionage Act. No reason. Just for fun," and, this week, "For those unfamiliar with the expression, 'There's blood in the water,' this is it." Today, after a search at Trump Tower and Bedminster turned up no more documents, "Coming soon: Cavity searches." We can hope....