Fresh from his chaotic run for House Speaker—a record-breaking fight that ended after midnight Saturday following 15 ballots—Kevin McCarthy is doubling down on his 2021 and 2022 promise to block Representatives Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee. McCarthy has also renewed his intentions to keep Representative Ilhan Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee, following up on an announcement he made in November saying, “I remember what she said about me. I remember what she said about Israel… I promised you last year as speaker she would no longer be on Foreign Affairs. I’m keeping that promise.”
Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker, I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based on her repeated anti-semitic and anti-American remarks.
I’m keeping that promise. pic.twitter.com/04blBx3neD
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) November 19, 2022
The news was further confirmed in a Tweet by Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) on Tuesday, who also wrote, “Promises made. Promises kept!”
Speaker McCarthy confirms that Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar are getting kicked off the Intel and Foreign Affairs Committees.
Promises made. Promises kept!
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) January 10, 2023
Speaking with Punchbowl News, McCarthy echoed a rationale he shared with Breitbart last year, accusing Schiff of knowingly using a fake dossier and lying to the American people while alleging that Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the private sector and should therefore not be given access to intel or Homeland Security.
Dems say the decision to target the trio is an act of retaliation against their party for stripping Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) of their committee assignments following Greene’s peddling of QAnon conspiracy theories and Gosar’s posting of a violent animated video depicting the murder of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As CNN reported, McCarthy expressed his intention to exact vengeance upon Schiff, Omar and Swalwell in a press conference last year, saying, “This isn’t about threats, but it’s about holding people accountable.” He went on to say he would put Greene and Gosar back on committees if Republicans won the house.
Schiff, Omar, and Swalwell have more or less shrugged off McCarthy’s tough talk in the past few months, with Schiff telling The Independent the vow seemed more like an empty promise McCarthy was making to gain support within his party. Swalwell, meanwhile, brushed off the threat shortly before the House’s 15th vote, stating, “He should come back to me when he’s speaker.” And Omar told MSNBC McCarthy should use the “historic humiliation” of his drawn-out fight as a sign that the House should be run differently, reiterating what the importance of what she sees as her role on the Foreign Affairs Committee, providing a voice to those who she feels have been historically voiceless.
McCarthy’s vow to oust Schiff and Swalwell only underscores the shakeup California now faces in the House. Katie Porter announced on Tuesday her 2024 Senate bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, causing consternation among fellow Democrats.
California needs a warrior in the Senate—to stand up to special interests, fight the dangerous imbalance in our economy, and hold so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell accountable for rigging our democracy.
Today, I’m proud to announce my candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024. pic.twitter.com/X1CSE8T12B
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) January 10, 2023
Porter survived a hard-fought re-election bid in 2022 and though her announcement has led to some controversy, given the fact that Feinstein has not formally announced whether or not she will seek re-election, Porter perhaps sums it all up by insisting: “California needs a warrior.”
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