For almost two years, key Republican leaders have warned Democrats that using their advantage in the House and Senate to stack committees with progressive-minded members and ramrod initiatives through Congress would come back to haunt them. Speaker of the House heir apparent Kevin McCarthy has announced that, when the new Congress convenes in January, several Democrats will lose their leadership positions — among them are Reps. Eric Swalwell, Adam Schiff and “Squad” member Ilhan Omar.
McCarthy announced his plans to remove Swalwell, Schiff and Omar from powerful committees on Fox News, pledging their removal would be one of his first moves when he formally takes over as speaker of the House.
McCarthy pointed out that Omar (D-MN) has been accused of making antisemitic statements and inciting violence following the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Roe v. Wade in June.
Fox News reports that Omar was angry that McCarthy plans to remove her from leadership positions and claimed any such move represented “another example of her being targeted by Republicans.”
“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,” claimed Omar.
Omar continued: “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.”
Omar added that the “constant stream of hate” from conservatives 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,” Omar complained.
McCarthy told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday: “You have Adam Schiff, who lied to the American public time and again – we will not allow him to be on the [Intelligence] Committee.”
Of Omar, who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, McCarthy said: “Look at Congresswoman Omar, her antisemitic comments that have gone forward. We’re not going to allow her to be on Foreign Affairs.”
Fox noted that Schiff’s office did not return a request for comment on this story.
Swalwell, who played a lead role in Trump’s impeachment proceedings and reportedly had an intimate relationship with a staffer who had ties to the Chinese communist government, currently serves on Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the subcommittee on Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Homeland Security.
McCarthy said: “Eric Swalwell can not get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance and access to the secrets of America?”
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