McCarthy to boot Omar, Schiff, Swalwell from key committees

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will block the appointments of Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Calif., and Eric Swalwell, Calif., to the House Intelligence Committee and will seek to keep Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar off of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Both Swalwell and Schiff attracted considerable scrutiny during their time in the majority. Schiff served as chairman of the committee after Democrats took control of the chamber in 2018 and was a vocal proponent of the now-debunked Trump-Russia collusion hoax. Swalwell, meanwhile, maintained ties to an alleged Chinese spy, with many alleging that the pair enjoyed a romantic relationship. 

In an interview with Punchbowl News, McCarthy indicated that he would unilaterally block the California Democrats from taking up Intelligence Committee posts. 

"Swalwell can't get a security clearance in the private sector. I'm not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied too many times to the American public. He should not be on Intel," the House Speaker told the outlet.

Omar, meanwhile, has long been an irritant to conservatives given her pointed criticism of Israel and penchant for making anti-Semitic comments. McCarthy will need to hold a floor vote to keep her from joining the committee. A member of the far-left "Squad," Omar is not likely to survive a chamber-wide vote, given Republican control of the majority.

Democrats previously ousted Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignment in 2021. Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar lost his committee assignments after posting a video of the "Attack on Titan" anime's opening reel that depicted him as anti-hero Eren Jaeger brutally killing his political opponents.

McCarthy is expected to name Greene to the Oversight and Accountability Committee while Gosar has indicated that party leadership has backed him to return to his old post, Punchbowl reported.