Reps. Ilhan Omar and Eric Swalwell have responded to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s vow to block them from committees in the next Congress.
Rep. McCarthy has been designated the next House Speaker once Republicans take control in January.
The Republican congressman has promised to keep Rep. Adam Schiff, Omar, and Swalwell off of committees. He cited Swalell’s relationship with a Chinese spy, Omar’s criticism of Israel, and Schiff’s promotion of Russian collusion conspiracy theories as his reasoning.
“One thing I said from the very beginning, Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector,” McCarthy told Fox News over the weekend. “Why would we ever give him a security clearance and the secrets to America? So, I will not allow him to be on” the House Intelligence Committee.
“You have Adam Schiff, who lied to the American public time and again – we will not allow him to be on the [Intelligence] Committee either,” McCarthy added. “Look at Congresswoman Omar, her antisemitic comments that have gone forward. We’re not going to allow her to be on Foreign Affairs.”
Rep. Omar is not happy about the news and accused the GOP of xenophobia, Islamophobia, and racism.
“From the moment I was elected, the Republican Party has made it their mission to use fear, xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism to target me on the House floor and through millions of dollars of campaign ads,” said Omar, according to a report from Fox News. “McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single me out for scorn and hatred—including threatening to strip me from my committee—does nothing to address the issues our constituents deal with. It does nothing to address inflation, health care, or solve the climate crisis.”
The congresswoman added that the “constant stream of hate” from conservatives has led “led to hundreds of death threats and credible plots against me and my family.”
“Instead of doing anything to address the open hostility toward religious minorities in his party, McCarthy is now lifting up people like Marjorie Taylor Greene… and so many others,” she continued.
Swalwell’s office had a much shorter comment, telling Fox News to “please circle back if Kevin McCarthy becomes speaker.”
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