A Democratic lawmaker has called out House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy after he pledged to prevent certain democrats from serving on committees in the next Congress.
In an interview over the weekend, Minority leader Kevin McCarthy reiterated his pledge to remove representatives Ilhan Omar, Adam Schiff, and Eric Swalwell from House committees. McCarthy said, “One thing I said from the very beginning, Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance and the secrets to America? So, I will not allow him to be on the House intelligence committee. You have Adam Schiff, who lied to the American public time and again – we will not allow him to be on the [Intelligence] Committee either. Look at Congresswoman Omar, her antisemitic comments that have gone forward. We’re not going to allow her to be on Foreign Affairs.”
Representative Omar reacted to the statement from McCarthy saying, “From the moment I was elected, the Republican Party has made it their mission to use fear, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and racism to target me on the House floor and through millions of dollars of campaign ads. McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single me out for scorn and hatred—including threatening to strip me from my committee—does nothing to address the issues our constituents deal with. It does nothing to address inflation, health care, or solve the climate crisis.” She continued by saying that republicans’ “constant stream of hate has led to hundreds of death threats and credible plots against me and my family. Instead of doing anything to address the open hostility toward religious minorities in his party, McCarthy is now lifting up people like Marjorie Taylor Greene… and so many others.”
Representative Eric Swalwell’s office released a brief statement when requested for comment, saying they would respond if Kevin McCarthy became the house’s next speaker. Adam Schiff’s office declined to comment.
This all comes as Republicans have vowed major changes are on the way for Congress after securing the house in the midterm elections. So far, Republicans have promised to rain in funding for the war in Ukraine and form committees to investigate the Afghanistan withdrawal, Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden’s business dealings.