McCarthy promises to oust several Democrats from House committees

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy signaled that when the GOP takes control of the new Congress it will seek to remove Democratic Representatives Eric Swalwell, Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar from their respective congressional committees.

During an interview on Fox News, the congressman noted that he will keep the promise he made in January to remove Swalwell and Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee and Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. McCarthy noted that Swalwell's alleged association with a Chinese spy, Schiff's promotion of the Steele dossier and Omar's anti-Semitic criticism of Israel disqualify them from serving in their respective positions.

McCarthy was nominated as Speaker of the House by the Republicans and needs 218 votes in the vote to be held in January, when the new House legislature begins. If he gets enough votes (he is not guaranteed the support of all Republican representatives), he stated that he will complete the removal of the three Democratic representatives from their respective committees.

Ilhan Omar defends herself and accuses McCarthy of "racism".

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-N.Y.) issued a statement a response to Kevin McCarthy accusing the Republican leader and the GOP in general of "racism and Islamophobia" for announcing their intention to expel her from the committee.

For his part, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) lashed out at McCarthy and the GOP, asserting that "the clown car has come to town."