McCarthy says he will block Schiff and Swalwell from the intelligence panel.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated on Tuesday that he would not allow Democratic Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California to serve on the House National Intelligence Committee, saying the decision was not based on political payback but on the fact that “honesty matters and they failed.” in that place.”

In the previous Congress, Democrats expelled Congressmen Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committees for inflammatory comments that they said incited potential violence against colleagues.

Minority leader Hakim Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked that Schiff and Swalwell be reappointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a prestigious committee with access to sensitive classified information. According to Jeffreys, there is “no precedent or justification” for their rejection.

Unlike most committees, appointments to the intelligence group are the prerogative of the speaker, with input from the minority leader.

McCarthy said he would present his response later on Tuesday, but “let me be clear, this is not like what the Democrats did. These members will have different committees, but the intelligence committee is different. security in America.”

“Hakim Jeffreys has 200 more people who can serve on this committee,” he added.

McCarthy was critical of Schiff’s performance as chairman of the commission during the first impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, alleging that he used his position to “lie the American public over and over again.” He also stated that Swalwell could not get a security clearance in the private sector, so “we are not going to give him secrets to America.”

McCarthy tried to remove Swalwell from the intelligence team in March 2021 based on his contacts with a suspected Chinese spy. His resolution against Swalwell, which was defeated by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, contained information that suspected spy Christine Fang had made contact with Swalwell’s campaign when he first ran for Congress in 2012 and was involved in fundraising for his campaign. 2014.

Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress on Fang in 2015, after which Swalwell cut off contact with her, according to Swalwell.

In 2021, Schiff told colleagues that Republican leaders in 2015, including then-House Speaker John Behner and then-Chair of the Intelligence Panel, Rep. Devin Nunes, were briefed on the Swalwell situation and “expressed no objection to its continuation.” services.” “In the Intelligence Committee.

McCarthy insisted that he was putting national security ahead of partisan politics.

“We are going to return the Intelligence Committee to what it should have been. We will no longer miss what happened in Afghanistan. We will no longer miss what is happening in China, Russia, Iran and other countries. This is what this country believes in. has to happen,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also promised to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, from the foreign affairs committee. In a joint statement, the three Democrats to be removed from committees said it was “disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of Congress and damaging our national security.”

They called their suspension part of a deal McCarthy made with GOP hardliners to become Speaker, “which called for political revenge against the three of us.”

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