UPDATE: Armstrong Votes To Censure Schiff After Trump Threatened He Be Primaried

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/AP/UPDATE 8:20 p.m. 6/21/23) — Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong could be getting back in former President Trump’s good graces.

Trump posting last week that a group of GOP house members should be primaried after voting against censuring and fining Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff.

Armstrong said the censure resolution as written was unconstitutional and he couldn’t vote for it.

The wording was changed and tonight by a vote of 213-209 Schiff was censured.

Armstrong voted for the censure.

Republican members of the House Ethics Committee including Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota, voted present.

Schiff led efforts to investigate and impeach Trump for his ties to Russia.

On Tuesday ahead of the vote, Schiff called the move “a badge of honor” and said, “They wouldn’t be going after me if they didn’t think I was effective.”

He is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2024.

**ORIGINAL STORY BELOW**

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/AP) — Former President Donald Trump is calling for North Dakota Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong to be primaried.

He is among a list of 20 Republican house members targeted by Trump after they voted last week against censuring and fining Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff.

Schiff is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and led efforts to investigate and impeach Trump for his ties to Russia.

In a tweet, Armstrong said he “voted to remove Schiff from the Intel committee and fought against him through two impeachments”.

But he says the “censure resolution as written is unconstitutional”.

But those Republicans are changing their votes this week after the measure’s sponsor, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, removed a provision that could have fined Schiff $16 million if the House Ethics Committee determines he lied.

Several of the Republicans who opposed the resolution last week said they opposed fining a member of Congress in that manner.

A final vote is expected Wednesday evening.

Schiff said he will wear the formal disapproval as a “badge of honor” and charged his GOP colleagues of doing the former president’s bidding.

“I will not yield,” said Schiff, who is running for Senate in his home state of California, during debate over the measure. “Not one inch.”

Schiff would be the 25th member of the House to be censured and only the third in the last 20 years.