Congressional Democrats are taking aim at House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for moving to strip their colleagues of their committee assignments.
On Tuesday, McCarthy blocked Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) from continuing to serve on the House Intelligence Committee.
The House speaker has vowed to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. However, stopping her from serving on the committee would require a full House vote.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Omar blasted McCarthy’s moves as she said, “McCarthy’s purely partisan move to strip us from our committee is not only a political stunt, but also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institution and a threat to our national security.”
Watch the video below:
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) rebukes Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “purely partisan” decision to remove her from House committee assignments:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 25, 2023
“Not only [is it] a political stunt, but also a blow to the integrity of our democratic institution and a threat to our national security.” pic.twitter.com/AGefau1Eka
Meanwhile, Swalwell called the move the “fulfillment of Kevin McCarthy’s corrupt bargain” to win the speaker’s gavel.
“It’s just too rich that as the three of us are about to lose our committees, this corrupt bargain also enables Paul Gosar — who depicted himself killing a colleague — goes onto a committee [sic],” he continued.
Finally, Swalwell said, “We are caught up in this corrupt bargain. [It] Doesn’t feel good at all, doesn’t feel good personally. But that’s not what’s important.”
“[It] doesn’t feel good for the country and the Congress because they ran on inflation, crime, the border. And they’re not taking on any of that. This is the nonsense they’re focused on,” he added.
Watch his comments below:
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) goes off on Kevin McCarthy’s “corrupt bargain” to become Speaker:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 25, 2023
“It’s just too rich that as the 3 of us are about to lose our committees, this corrupt bargain also enables Paul Gosar — who depicted himself killing a colleague — goes onto a committee.” pic.twitter.com/JjrTUY97mR
McCarthy defended his decision to remove Schiff from his committee assignment while allowing Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who has admitted to lying about his background, to serve on a committee.
“I will be very clear with you. The Intel Committee is different, well, you know why? Because what happens in the Intel Committee, you don’t know. What happens in the Intel committee, other secrets are going on the world, other members of Congress don’t know,” he explained on Tuesday.
McCarthy also insisted Schiff “does not have a right” to serve on the committee.
“But I will not be like Democrats and play politics with these where they removed Republicans from committees and all committees. So, yes, he can serve on a committee, but he will not serve on Intel because it goes to the national security of America and I will always put them first,” he added.