As Speaker, McCarthy would boot Schiff, Omar, Swalwell

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy says that if elected Speaker he would not waste any time in cleaning said House. 

He’d start by taking out the trash, removing Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Ilhan Omar and Eric Swalwell from two important congressional committees for past misconduct.

McCarthy made the comments to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo during an interview on Sunday, re-affirming a promise he made last January to remove the three. 

He singled out Swalwell as an ineligible choice for the House Intelligence Committee because of his prior relationship with a woman who is a suspected Chinese spy.

“One thing I said from the very beginning, Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector,” McCarthy said. “Why would we ever give him a security clearance and the secrets to America? So, I will not allow him to be on Intel.”

McCarthy cited Schiff’s advocacy of the now discredited Steele dossier as the reason he should no longer serve as the Intelligence Committee chair. He also noted how Schiff, who sits on the special committee investigating last year’s Jan. 6 Capitol “insurrection,” used his chairmanship to politicize the committee into a direct attack on Donald Trump.

“You have Adam Schiff, who lied to the American public time and again. We will not allow him to be on the Intel Committee either,” he continued.

Omar’s criticism of Israel and repeated anti-Semitic comments disqualified her from serving on the House Foreign Affairs committee, McCarthy added. Omar has faced controversy several times concerning her comments about Israel.

Omar even clashed with House Jewish Democrats in 2021 after tweeting about “unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,” in reference to investigations by the International Criminal Court. 

McCarthy, recently nominated by House Republicans for speaker, is poised to assume the role when Republicans take control of the House next year.