Gaetz Takes Jab At Schiff With ‘PENCIL Act’ Reintroduction

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), reintroduced Thursday legislation titled the “PENCIL Act” That would mean that Adam Schiff (D-CA), a fellow congressman, is prohibited from handling classified information.

Gaetz created the acronym resolution. “Preventing Extreme Negligence with Classified Information Licenses,” Former President Donald Trump, who was the first to call Schiff “little pencil neck” During a rally held in 2019.

“Congressman Adam Schiff led the effort for years to weaponize lies from the Clinton campaign and a corrupt Department of Justice to smear President Trump while destroying any trust the country had left in America’s intelligence agencies,” Gaetz told The Daily CallerIt was the first to receive the legislation text.

Gaetz reintroducing the legislation comes two days after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) formally booted two high-profile Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee — Schiff and fellow California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell.

“Speaker McCarthy kept his promise to remove Rep. Schiff from the Intelligence Committee, and with the PENCIL Resolution, we will express the sense of Congress that he should be barred from accessing any classified information at all,” Gaetz added. “He can no longer be trusted by his colleagues in Congress or the American people.”

McCarthy has the unilateral power to remove members of the House Intelligence Committee from their position as speakers.

McCarthy pledged to lift Schiff and Swalwell off the perches that they had held for many years. McCarthy has also spoken out about the possibility of taking Rep. Ilhan Omr (D-MN), off the Foreign Affairs Committee. But that would need to be voted on by the House floor.

Schiff posted the TikTok app, owned by Chinese companies, after McCarthy removed McCarthy from the House Intelligence Committee. The speaker had pulled Schiff “for doing my job, for holding Trump accountable and standing up to the extreme MAGA Republicans.”

Schiff denied taking classified information while speaking with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who asked if he had taken any records home while serving on the committee.

“This is what’s so astounding, I think, for all of us on the Intelligence Committee,” Schiff said. “I never take classified documents to my house.”

“I don’t know any reason why people would,” Schiff was added.

Mike Pompeo, a former Trump administration official, accused Schiff of leaking classified data after Swalwell and Schiff were removed.

“During my time as CIA director and secretary of state, I know that he leaked classified information that had been provided to him,” Pompeo saidAddition: When the administration provided information Schiff and his staff, such documents “ended up in places it shouldn’t have been with alarming regularity.”

This report was contributed by Daniel Chaitin

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