House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) racked up a major win this week by removing three potential national security risks from two key House committees, which the trio of Democrats see as retaliation.
McCarthy removed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) from the House Intelligence Committee.
Considering that the three abused their high-profile positions to slam former President Donald Trump, there is a reasonable expectation that Republican leadership wouldn’t allow them to do it again.
As could be expected, the White House came out in defense of the embattled members of Congress. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that they “bring a lot to the table when it comes to foreign policy and national security.”
In particular, Eric Swalwell has been perhaps the loudest of the pariah members of Congress. He made the media circuit this week, including a choreographed press briefing with Omar and Schiff.
Some Republicans were wary of Kevin McCarthy ascending to the position of speaker. However, his swift and decisive action was pushed for by other Republicans.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) called on McCarthy to remove Swalwell and Schiff from the Intelligence Committee, calling the former “a national security liability compromised by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) also slammed Democrats’ efforts to have the two Democrats retained on the committee. It’s obvious that the duo did not make many friends across the aisle.
I have rejected the appointments of Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell for the House Intelligence Committee.
I am committed to returning the @HouseIntel Committee to one of genuine honesty and credibility that regains the trust of the American people. pic.twitter.com/ePxlbanxta
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 25, 2023
There are very real fears over the potential abuse of classified information by Democrats in Washington and in the House, specifically. The ongoing Biden documents scandal is one that is likely going to be a major background fixture in future committee assignments.
If Joe Biden took classified documents home during his time on the Senate Foreign Foreign Relations Committee, why wouldn’t one of these soapbox Democrats in the House?
Our national security is at risk, and Kevin McCarthy made a major right decision in removing Swalwell and Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee.
