House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) followed through with some key pledges he made last year during the midterm cycle, removing Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the House Intelligence Committee.
McCarthy booted the pair from their powerful committee assignments on Tuesday, fulfilling a campaign promise that was met with opposition from Democrats and even some members of his own party. The House speaker is also poised to strip Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) of her committee assignments later this week, prompting House Democrats to rally behind the firebrand lawmaker to salvage her influence in the lower chamber.
‘INTEGRITY MATTERS’: MCCARTHY REJECTS SCHIFF AND SWALWELL FROM INTEL COMMITTEE
McCarthy has long vowed to remove the trio of Democrats from their powerful committees, first issuing threats after Republicans flipped control of the House in November. The move comes in response to Democrats ousting controversial GOP members Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) from their assignments in 2021 for allegedly encouraging political violence.
McCarthy reinstated both Gosar and Greene to their committee assignments earlier this month.
Here’s a breakdown of why McCarthy is targeting the trio of Democrats and what it will mean going forward:
Eric Swalwell
McCarthy has long hit out against Swalwell for his powerful position on the House Intelligence Committee, accusing the California Democrat of being untrustworthy.
Swalwell has been under scrutiny by Republicans after it was reported in 2020 that a suspected Chinese spy had developed relations with the California Democrat in what U.S. officials believe was an extensive political intelligence operation run by China between 2011 and 2015. A spokesperson for Swalwell said at the time he had not interacted with the operative in roughly six years, and the California Democrat has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
“Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance in the secrets to America? So I will not allow him to be on Intel,” McCarthy told Fox News in November.
Swalwell shot back shortly after McCarthy announced his removal from the Intelligence Committee, vowing the House speaker would “regret” it.
“He’s going to regret the day that he has given me more free time, Lawrence, because I’m not going to be quiet. I’m not going to back down,” Swalwell told MSNBC on Monday.
Adam Schiff
Schiff has also been a target of the GOP over the last several years after he led hearings for former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, during which the former president was accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Schiff continued to elicit the ire of the GOP with his position on the Jan. 6 committee in the last Congress, an investigation Republicans denounced as politically motivated.
“You have Adam Schiff, who had lied to the American public time and again,” McCarthy told Fox News in November. “We will not allow him to be on the Intel Committee either.”
Schiff responded to McCarthy’s decision in a statement on Tuesday, vowing his removal would not hinder him from continuing investigations.
“This is petty, political payback for investigating Donald Trump,” Schiff tweeted. “If [McCarthy] thinks this will stop me, he will soon find out just how wrong he is. I will always defend our democracy.”
Ilhan Omar
Also on the chopping block is Omar’s position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, which McCarty has sought to strip over the Minnesota Democrat’s anti-Israel positions and accusations of antisemitism over specific comments.
While McCarthy can unilaterally reject Swalwell and Schiff from being placed on the select committee, the full House must pass a resolution to remove Omar from her position. As a result, Democrats are scrambling to defend her assignment.
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Republicans hold a 222-213 majority in the House, meaning they can only afford to lose four votes to pass the resolution without any Democrats. That could prove challenging for McCarthy, as some Democrats are reportedly lobbying GOP members on the Foreign Affairs panel to oppose her removal.
At least two Republicans, Reps. Tim Burchett (TN) and David Valadao (CA), are undecided, according to Politico.
