Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy used his power to exclude Democratic Congressmen Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee. In a letter to Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, McCarthy said his decision was motivated by his commitment to restore "genuine honesty and credibility that will regain the trust of the American people." The two affected, backed by other members of the Democratic party, spoke out against their exclusion, blaming it on "political revenge."
In the letter sent to Jeffries, the leader of the House of Representatives said that "it is my assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congresses severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions- ultimately leaving our nation less safe." He further stressed that "I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more."
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
McCarthy: "Integrity matters more"
McCarthy had already announced that Schiff, who chaired the committee during the last term, and Swalwell, who also served on the committee, would not keep their seats if he was elected speaker. From the Republican Party, Schiff is accused of contributing to the spread of the hoax of Russiangate and lying to try to impeach Donald Trump. In Swalwell's case, the allegations against him stem from a report that the Democratic congressman was romantically involved with a Chinese spy.
In statements to the press weeks ago, McCarthy said that "Adam Schiff openly lied to the American public. For four years he subjected the United States to an impeachment trial that he knew to be a lie, at the same time that Ukraine and Afghanistan were collapsing. Was that the role of the Intelligence Committee? No". In a tweet, the House Speaker attached video of an appearance he made before the media in which he discussed the aforementioned report debunking Swalwell's presence. McCarthy added that the Democratic representative "cannot obtain a security clearance in the private sector. I'm not going to give him a government security clearance."
If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn't have Eric Swalwell on 𝘢𝘯𝘺 committee. pic.twitter.com/2H19pezF9M
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 17, 2023
McCarthy's "petty, political payback"
After the news was confirmed, Schiff quickly took to social media to link this decision to his role as leader of the motion to impeach former President Donald Trump. In a tweet, the congressman assured that if McCarthy "thinks this will stop me, he will soon find out just how wrong he is."
Kevin McCarthy just kicked me and @RepSwalwell off the Intelligence Committee.
This is petty, political payback for investigating Donald Trump.
If he thinks this will stop me, he will soon find out just how wrong he is.
I will always defend our democracy.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 25, 2023
"I'm not going away"
Swalwell posted on his Twitter account that "This rejection is based on a claim that the Washington Post's independent fact checker gave 4 Pinocchios. Speaker Boehner and Ryan, both Gang of 8 members, appointed me to Intel with access to the same facts McCarthy is distorting. You can keep me off Intel, but I'm not going away."
This rejection is based on a claim that the Washington Post independent-fact checker gave 4 Pinocchios. Speaker Boehner and Ryan, both Gang of 8 members, appointed me to Intel with access to the same facts McCarthy is distorting. He can keep me off Intel, but I’m not going away. https://t.co/YQZOVCSJpO
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 25, 2023
Mechanism for excluding members of a committee
The exclusion of one or more congressmen from the Intelligence Committee is a privilege that the Speaker of the House of Representatives possesses because of the nature of this committee. In the case of other committees, a vote is required to replace or dismiss any member. This is what happened to conservatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar during the last legislature, who were removed from the January 6 Investigative Committee after a vote pushed by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanks to the votes of Democrats and some Republicans.
That is also what is happening with Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who McCarthy promised to remove from the Foreign Affairs Committee after making anti-Semitic remarks and taking a hard line toward Israel. As in the previous case, it will be up to the entire House to decide on her presence on this committee. For the time being, Republican Representative Victoria Spartz has announced that she will not second her party's leader in the vote, considering it "a mistake."
Omar herself issued a joint statement with her two colleagues excluded from Intelligence in which they claimed to be victims of a political vendetta and pointed out that McCarthy has "capitulated to the right wing of his caucus." "It is disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of Congress and harming our national security in the process. He struck a corrupt deal in his desperate, and almost failed, attempt to win the presidency of Congress, a deal that called for political revenge against the three of us," they stated.
