Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has confirmed that Democrat Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-MN), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are no longer members of the congressional committees they previously served on.
Schiff served in the powerful role of House Intelligence Committee chairman during the last Congress.
Despite his links to a Chinese Communist Party spy, Swalwell was also a member of the same Intel Committee.
Omar previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
McCarthy said he is making these moves for a few reasons.
He said Swalwell can’t get a regular security clearance and can’t be trusted with government credentials.
McCarthy said he will remove Schiff because he lied to the American people.
“Those two won’t be on intel,” McCarthy said about Schiff and Swalwell.
“Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector.
“I’m not going to give him a government security clearance.
“Schiff has lied too many times to the American public.
“He should not be on Intel.”
“It’s not like it’s anything new,” McCarthy added.
“Remember, this is what Nancy Pelosi – this is the type of Congress she wanted to have,” McCarthy said, referring to the Democrats kicking Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) off her committee.
According to Punchbowl News:
As speaker, McCarthy can unilaterally block Schiff and Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence panel.
The full House would have to act against Omar.
The bigger issue regarding Schiff, after the Twitter files proved he tried to get reporters banned from Twitter in direct violation of the US Constitution, is whether will he be forced to resign in disgrace for his actions or will the Department of Justice hold him to account?
.@PunchbowlNews AM:
Out: Schiff, Swalwell and Omar.
In: Gosar, Santos and MTG.
With passage of the House rules package, the next big fight for the chamber will be “populating” its committees. And that’s going to lead to a big partisan brawl on the floor. https://t.co/fPDfqh0StL— Punchbowl News (@PunchbowlNews) January 10, 2023
Rather than offer an olive branch to McCarthy, Omar ripped him in a new interview, all but sealing her fate.
She said:
“I do have to say for a speaker that has faced a historic humiliation — that had gotten elected after 15 rounds, surpassing a record that was set pre-Civil War — there is an opportunity here, as he has said to not do things in the way in which it has been done before.
“I think it would be hypocritic for him to remove, you know, the first African born on subcommittee on Africa on the Foreign Affairs Committee, where I’ve had the opportunity to not only represent my constituents but the voice of so many people who have never had a voice on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”
McCARTHY confirms Swalwell, Schiff & Omar will be off committees they’d previously served: intel/foreign affairs.
“Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector. I’m not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied to the American public…”
— Farnoush Amiri (@FarnoushAmiri) January 10, 2023
It is curious that members like Adam Schiff refer to an agreement to allow greater democratic deliberation as an invitation for “chaos.” https://t.co/eL0KTzvr2h The agreement would allow more time to review and amend legislation-rights denied under Pelosi. https://t.co/w5nNB5551j
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 7, 2023
The move from McCarthy follows through on a previous promise to boot the controversial Democrats from their powerful committee positions.
As Slay News reported earlier, the new GOP-led House also voted to rescind billions of dollars in funding that was approved by Democrats to create an army of 87,000 additional IRS agents to target regular Americans.
