McCarthy says he'll block Schiff, Swalwell from Intel panel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated Tuesday that he will block Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because “integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.”

In the previous Congress, Democrats booted Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committee assignments for incendiary commentary that they said incited potential violence against colleagues.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked that Schiff and Swalwell be reappointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a prestigious panel with access to sensitive, classified information. There is no “precedent or justification” for rejecting them, Jeffries said.

Unlike most committees, appointments to the Intelligence panel are the prerogative of the speaker, with input from the minority leader.

McCarthy insisted that “this is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the Intel Committee is different. The Intel committee's responsibility is the national security to America."

“Hakeem Jeffries has 200 other people who can serve on that committee,” he added.

He sent his formal response to Jeffries in a letter he posted Tuesday night on Twitter.