House Dems Call McCarthy’s Bluff On Committee Seats: He’s Just ‘Catering To The Most Extreme Members’

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., center, Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., conduct a news conference on being removed from committees assignments, in the Capitol Visitor Center... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., center, Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., conduct a news conference on being removed from committees assignments, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) have all been targeted by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in recent weeks as the House has been working to finalize committee assignments for the 118th Congress. 

Last week, Schiff and Swalwell were stripped of their positions on the House Intelligence Committee, after McCarthy officially denied the Democrats from taking their previously held seats. And House Republicans plan to hold a vote this week on Omar’s seat on the House Foreign Affairs panel as McCarthy aims to oust her out as well.

But the Democrats argue the Speaker’s actions targeting them is nothing more than another political calculation to cling to his power as speaker by keeping the conservative hardliners — who recently held the speakership hostage in a very public and very embarrassing days-long vote — happy.

This is a result of McCarthy “catering to the most extreme members of their conference,” Schiff told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday

“I don’t accept the premise that this has anything to do with the conduct of any of the Democratic members. This is merely the weakness of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership, that he’s so reliant on these extreme members,” Schiff said.

Last year, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) were removed from their committee assignments following incendiary social media posts — including Greene posting about the assassination of then Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and pushing dangerous, baseless conspiracy theories like claiming that 9/11 was a hoax. Under McCarthy’s leadership, both Greene and Gosar have gotten their committee assignment back but Schiff argued pushing some Democrats out of their seats as retaliation will continue to keep the MAGA House Republicans on McCarthy’s side.

“He needs Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vote. He needs Paul Gosar’s vote. He wants to retaliate for their removal from the committee,” Schiff said. “And apparently he believes I was very effective in exposing his misconduct, Donald Trump’s misconduct, and that’s what they’re trying to stop.”

Swalwell agreed that McCarthy’s actions are a distinctly partisan move.

“​​It’s Kevin McCarthy weaponizing his ability to commit this political abuse, because he perceives me, just like Mr. Schiff and Ms. Omar, as an effective political opponent,” he said.

Schiff emphasized none of the allegations McCarthy has made against him and his colleagues are legitimate basis for unseating Democrats from committees. He pointed to Trump recently having dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, Greene and others speaking at white nationalist rallies and events and the conman of the year Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who is currently under multiple investigations for questions around his campaign finances and background and resume, being assigned to multiple committees. 

“The hypocrisy just grabs you by the throat,” Schiff said. “So I don’t want to dignify the pretext that they are giving for any of us. What they’re doing is really catering to the most extreme members of their conference.”

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  1. The GQP 2024 Slogan

  2. Time to get ready for the Republican 24x7x365 BS machine. Dems should develop a plan before Repubs start to spread the fertilizer. Perhaps the Democrat PACs can play a part in outing Repub falsehoods. Especially those falsehoods produced by Jim Jordan’s Tin Hat Select Committee on Insurrection Protection.

  3. Avatar for dave48 dave48 says:

    “But the Democrats argue the Speaker’s actions targeting them is nothing more than another political calculation to cling to his power as speaker by keeping the conservative hardliners — who recently held the speakership hostage in a very public and very embarrassing days-long vote — happy.”

    In other news, the sky is blue and rain is wet. Does anyone in the US who has any access to the news not know this? It’s not as though Republicans are even trying to hide their motives.

  4. …Call McCarthy’s Bluff…

    I dunno…they may be calling out McCarthy’s bullshit, but “calling his bluff” would be something like going into the conference chamber and sitting down in their old seats. But if I understand House rules at all, there is no bluff to be called. It’s within the majority’s power to do this hypocritical bullshit if that’s the kind of people they are (and they are). Definitely call them out on it.

    I wish Democrats would be better at injecting bumper-sticker phrases into the discussion. In this case, I dunno what exactly. “McCarthy’s con-job”? I’m sure there are better phrases. But pick something like that and at every single media opportunity use that phrase. Doesn’t matter the topic. Debt ceiling fight? “This is part and parcel with the rest of McCarthy’s con-job…”. Committee assignments? “A key feature of the McCarthy con-job is to deny the opposition a voice…”

    When the media-watching public hear “McCarthy” you want them to immediately finish it mentally with “con-job”.

  5. One of the things favoring the Dems here is that the GOP all want to be the “gardeners” spreading the manure and they’re as likely to start spreading it on each other as on the Democrats when the infighting begins.

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