Comedian's 'Spot On' Donald Trump Impression Baffles Internet

A video clip of a comedian pulling off an uncanny impression of former President Donald Trump while leaving a voicemail for California Representative Adam Schiff has gone viral on Twitter.

Democrat Schiff hit headlines on Wednesday after he became the 25th member of the House of Representatives to be censured, over his leading role in the investigations of Republican Trump's alleged ties to Russia.

Schiff, who previously served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee during the Trump probes, is accused by his Republican colleagues of launching "an all-out political campaign" against the former president "built on baseless distortions," according to the resolution sponsored by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna. The measure to censure Schiff passed in a 213-209 vote.

In reaction to the news, Trump-supporting comedian Shawn Farash on Thursday posted a clip of himself prank calling Schiff's office. Farash affected the distinctive tones of the one-term president, who is vying to return to the White House in 2024.

"Well this message is for the Honorable Adam Schiff," Farash, who calls himself Captain Deplorable on social media, said in a voice that was almost indistinguishable from Trump's. "They call you the Honorable Adam Schiff and I just have to say, Shifty, you were censured by the House of Representatives because Russia, Russia, Russia was a hoax. It was a complete and total hoax.

"You knew it was a hoax the entire time, so I'm wondering when you're going to apologize, because you're called honorable. OK, you're supposed to apologize. Honorable means you're not supposed to be so dishonest. You know you were so dishonest. You lied during impeachment hoax number one.

"So I want to know when you're going to apologize for being dishonest, because you got censured, you know that you got censured, you're not supposed to get censured, not a good thing. And it happened to you because you lied about the hoax. So I want you to apologize to the American people."

"And maybe in 2024, when you have a new president, maybe there'll be a pardon," he continued. "Maybe there'll be something where we don't even have to talk about it. But until then you should apologize for what you did. Because you've been censured and there's no coming back from that. Thank you, Shifty Schiff, pencil neck, bug eyes, watermelon head. I look forward to talking to you soon."

The video, which has been viewed more than 260,000 times, was met with praise by a number of Twitter users, who commended Farash's impersonation.

"You are the absolute best impersonation," wrote one. "No one compares, [in my opinion]."

"My husband came into the kitchen while I was listening to this. He's not political at all," another tweeted. "His eyes got really big when he thought it was actually Trump. When he realized it wasn't, he cracked up and said, 'that's the funniest thing I've heard in months!'"

"This guy is spot on," commented another. "Bet Schifty will believe it was Trump!"

As for Farash, the comedian said in a Twitter post: "If Schiff is fooled... Or his office is fooled by the audio message... I promise you I will never stop laughing."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Schiff via email for comment.

Meanwhile, Democrats have argued that the GOP's focus on Schiff is a way to appease Trump, whose first impeachment in 2019 was at the hands of an investigation led by Schiff over the former president's alleged effort to pressure Ukraine to help him win re-election.

During a debate over the censure resolution on Wednesday, California Representative Nancy Pelosi accused her Republican colleagues of behaving like "puppets."

"Today we are on the floor of the House where the other side has turned this chamber—where slavery was abolished, where Medicare and Social Security and everything were instituted—they turned it into a puppet show," Pelosi, a Democrat and former House speaker, said. "And you know what? The puppeteer, Donald Trump is shining a light on the strings. You look miserable."

Luna pushed back, saying that the measure is not about Trump but "about holding accountability for someone who exploited their official position."

Schiff appeared on CNN Wednesday night, saying that the censure vote is "a badge of honor," adding, "sometimes you can judge a person by the enemies they make."

"This was a MAGA resolution that Donald Trump threatened if any Republican voted against, as many had last week, that they would be subject to a primary challenge," Schiff continued while speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper.

An earlier version of the censure measure was blocked last week after 20 Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues to strike it down. Trump later wrote on his Truth Social account that, "Any Republican voting against [Schiff's] CENSURE, or worse, should immediately be primaried. There are plenty of great candidates out there!"