WASHINGTON — Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday tapped Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell to proceed serving on the House Intelligence Committee, teeing up a long-anticipated struggle with Speaker Kevin McCarthy who has vowed to block the pair from retaining their seats on the highly effective panel.
The transfer signifies that the connection between Jeffries, a New Yorker and new minority chief, and McCarthy, a Californian and new GOP speaker, is getting off to a rocky begin.
Members of the Intelligence panel are chosen in another way than different congressional committees as a result of it’s a “select” committee. As speaker, McCarthy has the authority to select a md and Republican members of the panel. Jeffries, as minority chief, can nominate Democrats to serve on the panel, however McCarthy has the ability to reject them.
In quite a few remarks to the press, McCarthy has promised to just do that in retribution for actions by his predecessor, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the Democrats within the final Congress. He has particularly focused Schiff and Swalwell who performed a significant position within the impeachments of former President Donald Trump.
“It is my understanding that you intend to break with the longstanding House tradition of deference to the minority party Intelligence Committee recommendations and deny seats to Ranking Member Schiff and Representative Swalwell,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to McCarthy, formally nominating the 2 Democrats.
“The denial of seats to duly elected Members of the House Democratic Caucus runs counter to the serious and sober mission of the Intelligence Committee,” he continued.
Punchbowl News was first to report on the Jeffries letter.
Two years ago, Democrats voted to take the rare step and oust ultraconservative Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., from their committees after Greene made racist and anti-Semetic remarks in social media posts and Gosar tweeted an animation that depicted violence against New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and other Democrats.
“It does not serve as precedent or justification for the removal of Representatives Schiff and Swalwell, given that they have never exhibited violent thoughts or behavior,” Jeffries wrote.
Also in 2021, then-Speaker Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s picks — GOP Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks — for the committee she created to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In response, McCarthy and the Republicans boycotted the select committee, and Pelosi named two Republicans to serve alongside the Democrats.
Those actions angered McCarthy and for months he has vowed to block Schiff and Swalwell from the Intelligence panel. Schiff served as Democrats’ lead prosecutor during the first impeachment, while Swalwell was one of the impeachment managers during the second impeachment focused on Trump’s role in the Capitol attack.
As recently as Jan. 12, McCarthy told reporters he would not seat Schiff and Swalwell who regularly antagonize McCarthy during cable news appearances. McCarthy specifically called out Swalwell, citing Axios reporting that the Democrat was among several California politicians who had been targeted by a Chinese spy.
“You’re going to tell me that other Democrats couldn’t fill that slot?” McCarthy requested reporters. “He cannot get a security clearance in the private sector. So would you like to give him a government clearance?”
Swalwell has mentioned he cooperated with the FBI in its investigation into the spy and didn’t do something fallacious. During a latest interview on MSNBC, Swalwell referred to as McCarthy’s threats in opposition to him nothing greater than “political vengeance.”
A separate battle might quickly emerge over a 3rd Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. After Republicans gained again management of the House in November, McCarthy mentioned he would push to take away Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee “based on her repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks.”
But eradicating Omar from Foreign Affairs, which isn’t a choose committee, would require a vote of the complete House of Representatives, related to how Greene and Gosar had been eliminated.
Omar is a Somali refugee and one of many first two Muslim American ladies to serve in Congress. She blasted McCarthy and the GOP in a press release after McCarthy’s threats.
“McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single me out for scorn and hatred … gin[s] up fear and hate against Somali-Americans and anyone who shares my identity, and further divide us along racial and ethnic lines,” Omar mentioned.
In his letter Monday, Jeffries additionally used the chance to name out “serial fraudster” Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., for being seated on committees whereas Democratic members might lose their locations.
“The apparent double standard risks undermining the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that is so desperately needed in Congress,” Jeffries wrote.