(UnitedVoice.com) – When Democrats in the House voted to remove Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from their committees in 2021, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) vowed revenge. He repeatedly stated that when the GOP took power in 2023, he was going to remove a number of Democrats from their committee assignments, as well. He recently made good on that promise and got into an argument with a reporter when asked about it.
On Tuesday, January 24, Speaker McCarthy removed California Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the House Intelligence Committee. The Republican claimed he made the decision because he believes Schiff lied about former President Donald Trump and Swalwell was briefly connected to someone who was later exposed as a Chinese spy. PBS journalist Lisa Desjardins confronted McCarthy about his decision to remove the Democrats from the committee but allow Rep. George Santos (R-NY) to serve on others, despite his repeated lies.
McCarthy was not amused by the question. A video of the incident shows a visibly annoyed speaker telling the PBS reporter that the Intelligence Committee is not like the ones Santos is serving on. The Intelligence Committee keeps track of “other secrets” that are happening around the world that ordinary “members of Congress don’t know.”
Further, McCarthy claimed the FBI was concerned about Swalwell when he joined the committee because of the spy connection. He said the agency briefed him and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about it and pointed out that Desjardins didn’t receive the same information he did.
McCarthy also made it clear that he was allowing Schiff and Swalwell to serve on other committees, but he didn’t want them on Intel.
The speaker has also said he intends to give Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) the boot from her committees, but he isn’t able to do that unilaterally because she isn’t on a special committee. Instead, the full House will have to vote on the measure.
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