Kevin McCarthy snaps at reporter after taking out Dems while keeping George Santos on committees

WASHINGTON. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) quarreled with a reporter who questioned on Tuesday why he gave seats on the committee to confessed liar George Santos (R-NY) but expelled two Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee .

“You said lying to us means you should be removed from the intelligence committee. But why is it not a factor [for Santos]? asked PBS reporter Lisa Desjardins.

“Well, let me be very…” McCarthy began.

“This man should not be on committees,” Desjardins interjected.

“He was elected by his constituency, so…” the speaker repeated before a PBS reporter demanded that he “answer my question.”

McCarthy bristled, saying, “Let me be very clear and respectful of you. You ask me a question. When I answer it, it is the answer to your question. You can’t determine if I’m answering a question or not, okay? In every way. Thank you.”

The fight followed McCarthy’s official waiver of Reps Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-Cal) of the high-ranking committee regularly briefed on American secrets, in which the speaker cited security and integrity concerns with both Democratic MPs.

Referring to Desjardins’ question, the speaker insisted, “The Intel committee is different. You know why? Because you don’t know what’s going on in the Intelligence Committee. What is going on in the intelligence committee, all the secrets of what is happening in the world, other members of Congress do not know.

McCarthy accused Schiff of knowing that The Post’s 2020 article on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings was not the result of Russian interference, yet lied about it anyway.

“When we had a laptop, he used it before the elections to be a politician and say it was a lie, and said it was Russians when he knew otherwise, when he knew the information,” the speaker said. “When the whistleblower came forward, he said he did not know the man, although his staff met with him and established it.”

Addressing Swalwell, McCarthy bluntly remarked that Desjardins “didn’t have a briefing like I did,” noting that the FBI had a private meeting with him and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, to discuss the congressman’s ties to China.

“The FBI was concerned about the inclusion on the intelligence committee of a member of Congress who has the right to see what others do not see because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy,” he said. “They brought it to work leaders – I have this briefing.”

“So I don’t think he should sit on this committee, and I think there are 200 more Democrats who can serve on this committee. [instead,]he added.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended Schiff and Swalwell on Wednesday, saying they “bring a lot to the table. She stated that the Intelligence Committee “should not be politicized”.

McCarthy said Tuesday he would allow two Californians to sit on other committees because he “won’t play politics like the Democrats.”

“[They] can serve on a committee, but [they] will not serve as intelligence because it is about America’s national security, and I will always put it first,” McCarthy said.

Last week, McCarthy put the sketchy Santos on the science, space and technology and small business committees, despite the Long Island Republican admitting to The Post last month that he lied about graduating from college and working for top investment firms.

Santos is expected to be scrutinized by the House Ethics Committee following reports of his lying and accusations of other misconduct. McCarthy promised on Tuesday that Santos would be removed from office if the commission found he had broken the law.

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