House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has made it clear that he is ready to shake things up if Republicans retake the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives — and elect him as their new House Speaker — and he could begin by ousting several key Democrats from their committee assignments.
According to a recent interview McCarthy gave to The Federalist, there are three Democrats in particular who should expect to lose their committee seats as soon as he has control of the gavel — Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
If Republicans win the House and he's Speaker, McCarthy told me he's playing Pelosi's game and booting Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff off Intel, and Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs https://t.co/Qxqo2zpXPX
— Emily Jashinsky (@emilyjashinsky) October 20, 2022
Both Schiff and Swalwell serve on the House Intelligence Committee, and Omar serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee — and critics have called for one or more of them to lose those positions on a number of occasions.
McCarthy called for Schiff to step down as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee as far back as 2019, arguing that his continued assertions that there was evidence former President Donald Trump had colluded with Russia disqualified him from leadership.
“Even before the Mueller report, Adam Schiff said more than two years ago that he had more than circumstantial evidence that the president had done something wrong. He owes an apology to the American public. There is no place in Adam Schiff’s world or in Congress that he should be chair of the Intel Committee,” he told Fox News host Dana Perino. “People have real doubt about him, but now there is no way that he could lead the Intel Committee. He should step back.”
McCarthy also led the effort to oust Swalwell from his spot on the Intelligence Committee in March of 2021 — which Democrats claimed was simply retaliation for their decision to remove Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from her committee assignments.
“I have filed a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee. Swalwell engaged in a years-long relationship with a suspected Chinese spy, and his conduct makes clear he has no place serving on the committee in charge of America’s top secrets,” McCarthy explained at the time. The resolution failed along party lines.
I have filed a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee.
Swalwell engaged in a years-long relationship with a suspected Chinese spy, and his conduct makes clear he has no place serving on the committee in charge of America's top secrets. pic.twitter.com/8Tb9TOh976
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 18, 2021
McCarthy has also spoken out in the past about Omar, criticizing her for a number of comments that were anti-semitic and even anti-American in nature.
Rep. Omar's anti-Semitic & anti-American comments are abhorrent.
Speaker Pelosi’s continued failure to address the issues in her caucus sends a message to the world that Democrats are tolerant of anti-Semitism and sympathizing with terrorists.
It’s time for the Speaker to act.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) June 10, 2021
McCarthy was not alone with regard to his opinions on Omar — in fact, then Vice President Mike Pence called for Omar to be stripped of her committee assignments in 2019.
🚨PENCE SAVAGES ILHAN OMAR🚨
– Calls for @IlhanMN to be stripped of Committee seats.
– Omar "repeated anti-Semitic tropes."
– Says Omar's anti-Semitic views "have no place in Congress"
– Says Dems "co-opted by people who promote rank anti-Semitic rhetoric."
*AUDIENCE ROARS* pic.twitter.com/zp87kftO3q
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 25, 2019