Adam Schiff invented fake Trump quotes before a live congressional hearing and called it parody.
Now he's introduced a bill to ban exactly that.
The man who put the mob boss dialogue in a president's mouth before a national audience – and called it parody – wants to define what parody is allowed.
The Parody Defense That Launched a Career
Here's what happened in September 2019, and don't let anyone pretend it was complicated.
Schiff sat in the chair of the House Intelligence Committee during a nationally televised hearing with acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire.
He opened with a performance.
He read what he framed as the "essence" of Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – except none of it matched the transcript the White House had released the day before.
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2082978356320993728?s=20
Schiff invented Trump demanding Zelensky "make up dirt on my political opponent" – then added that Trump threatened to repeat the demand eight times so Zelensky would "listen good."
Trump said none of that.
Not a word.
Republican Rep. Mike Turner called him out on the spot.
Schiff's response – delivered in real time before millions of Americans watching live – was that his fabricated version was "meant to be at least part in parody."
He admitted it wasn't okay.
He said it anyway.
Kevin McCarthy moved to censure him over it.
Rep. Elise Stefanik called it "disturbing and outrageous."
And the California Democratic Party rewarded him with a Senate seat.
Now He Wants to Protect Democracy From Exactly What He Did
Fast-forward to this week.
Schiff introduced two bills targeting political speech heading into the 2026 midterms.
https://twitter.com/WesternJournalX/status/2082983691249496494?s=20
The AI Ads Act would prohibit "fraudulent misrepresentation of political candidates or committees through content generated by artificial intelligence."
The second bill forces political campaigns to disclose paid influencer content – something current law requires of influencers themselves but not the campaigns bankrolling them.
What triggered this sudden concern for election integrity?
Spencer Pratt – yes, the reality TV star running for Los Angeles mayor – ran AI-generated ads where Mayor Karen Bass appeared as the Joker and Pratt appeared as Batman fighting crime alongside her.
California voters loved it.
Schiff and his allies are furious.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton also ran AI ads targeting Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, and Democrats are apoplectic about that too.
Notice the pattern.
When Republicans use Batman memes in campaign ads, that's an existential threat to democracy requiring federal legislation.
When Adam Schiff put fabricated mob boss dialogue in a president's mouth during an official impeachment hearing – that was just parody.
The First Amendment Problem Schiff Won't Mention
Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming saw this coming.
She introduced the Preventing AI Censorship Act specifically to protect Americans from government bureaucrats who decide which speech is legal and which isn't.
That's the actual threat.
Not Batman memes.
Not Joker edits.
Misinformation – even intentional false speech – is generally protected under the First Amendment, and no federal agency gets to appoint itself the referee.
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2080839704744755617?s=20
What Schiff wants is a federal speech police with the power to decide which political parodies cross the line – controlled, of course, by the same people who invented the word "parody" as a shield for their own lies.
Schiff spent years swearing to Americans that evidence of Russian collusion was in "plain sight."
He was wrong.
He spent years on the committee that "investigated" January 6th under Nancy Pelosi's hand-picked lineup – including Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – stitching together a one-sided narrative designed to bury Pelosi's own considerable role in the events of that day.
He got kicked off the House Intelligence Committee he once chaired.
California Democrats sent him to the Senate.
The man who put the mob boss dialogue in a president's mouth before a national audience – and called it parody – wants to define what parody is allowed.
Adam Schiff isn't trying to protect democracy from AI.
He's trying to protect Democrats from being made fun of.
Sources:
- "Schiff Clarifies His Fabricated Account Of Ukraine Transcript By Calling It 'Parody,'" The Daily Caller, September 26, 2019.
- "Schiff slammed for chalking up 'disturbing' fictional account of Trump-Ukraine call to 'parody,'" Fox News, September 26, 2019.
- "McCarthy signs on to resolution to censure Schiff for 'parody' reading of Ukraine call," Fox News, October 2, 2019.
- "Exclusive: Senate Democrat's new bills would restrict AI-powered ads and paid influencers," Semafor, July 26, 2026.
- "See The Hilarious AI Ads That Furious California Democrats Want Banned," ZeroHedge, July 30, 2026.
- "Reining in the censorship industrial complex in the age of AI," Rep. Harriet Hageman, The Washington Times, July 26, 2026.
