(TheRedWire.com) – On Tuesday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) rejected Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (Calif.) from being allowed to sit in the House Intelligence Committee. This is a further escalation in the political battle of the two parties who have over the past few years fought over who should qualify to serve in certain positions.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had written to McCarthy to recommend that both Schiff and Swalwell should be allowed to sit on the Intel panel. However, the final decision on the committee assignments lay with the House Speaker.
McCarthy determined that these two members are unfit to serve on that panel or to be given access to sensitive information. In a letter sent to Jeffries, he wrote that Representative Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell would not be allowed to serve on the Intelligence Committee so that the committee’s integrity can be maintained.
This has been a core issue since 2021 when the Democrats removed GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) from their committee assignments after it had become clear they had promoted violence against other Democrats. The decision to strip them of their assignments came after it was revealed McCarthy refused to take disciplinary action within the GOP conference.
On Tuesday, McCarthy said this decision regarding Schiff and Swalwell was not influenced in any way by Greene and Gosar. He then argued that this case did not resemble what the Democrats did in any way.
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