New Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reiterated on Monday his intention to strip several high-profile Democrats from their committee assignments.
The Speaker confirmed that Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) will lose their positions on committees.
Omar will no longer be on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Schiff and Swalwell will be booted from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) told a House Democrat press briefing on Tuesday that, despite McCarthy’s pledge, the Democratic caucus will move forward with presenting its nominees for their committee assignments. He noted at that point the decision is in the hands of the Speaker.
McCarthy to oust Ilhan Omar, Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell from House committee assignmentshttps://t.co/dg2zKXc8UG
— Corvette SCIF Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 10, 2023
Democrats began the “new normal” of booting opposition lawmakers from committee assignments. The party previously ousted GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) and Paul Gosar (AZ).
That did not prevent the party from reacting angrily to McCarthy’s declaration. Schiff tweeted that “McCarthy conceded all the power of his office to the crazies to get their votes.”
He blasted the California Republican as “Speaker in name only.”
And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) slammed the GOP for what he called “revenge” and “irrelevant investigations.” He ironically urged McCarthy to “work with Democrats,” something his party notably failed to do when they held the Speaker’s gavel.
McCarthy’s stance is hardly new and began well before his protracted battle for his new position. In November, shortly after Republicans won control of the House, he told Fox News of his plans.
The Speaker noted that “Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector” and asked why would he ever be cleared to deal with “the secrets of America?” McCarthy said then that he would not allow the California Democrat to serve on Intel.
Swalwell’s alleged affair with a Chinese spy was revealed in 2020, and federal officials said then that his relationship was part of a political intelligence operation conducted by China for four years.
McCarthy also declared that Schiff “lied to the American public time and again,” and that meant he also would be on the outside looking in at the Intelligence Committee.
Democrats have no one to blame but themselves for starting this tit-for-tat over highly coveted committee assignments. Their reckless banishment of GOP lawmakers only guaranteed that when the gavel passed to the opposition party, similar steps would be taken. And they will.
