Speaker Kevin McCarthy is off to a good start. He kept a promise to deny Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) seats on the House Intelligence Committee. And he will also deny Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The White House voiced support for all three of the Democrats during Karine Jean-Pierre’s daily White House press briefing. She told reporters that all three bring a lot to the table.

Ed wrote about Kevin McCarthy’s stellar response to a snarky reporter’s question about his actions against the three Democrats. Go read that post if you have not yet done so and you’ll find yourself smiling. Where has that Kevin McCarthy been, anyway? Let’s hope that wasn’t a one-time response to arrogant liberal reporters. More of that from Republican leadership, please.

I’m not sure exactly what it is that KJP thinks Schiff, Swalwell, and Omar bring to the table. Does she think Schiff’s constant lying about a Republican president and connections to Russia that never existed makes him trustworthy with such an important committee assignment? How about Eric Swalwell’s lack of judgment exhibited during his relationship with a Chinese spy? Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic comments are well-documented. She should not be on the Foreign Affairs Committee. McCarthy did the right thing. It is his right to do so in his role as Speaker of the House. The House will vote on Omar’s appointment to the Foreign Affairs Committee, a standing committee, but the speaker has the final word on the Intelligence Committee, a select committee.

Those three are welcome to serve on other committees – there are lots to choose from. KJP did the bidding of the Democrats and slammed McCarthy during the White House press briefing. When asked by a reporter, KJP said Schiff, Swalwell, and Omar bring ‘expertise’ to their committee assignments.

She said all three ‘bring a lot to the table when it comes to foreign policy and national security.’

‘When it comes to that committee, it should not be politicized,’ Jean-Pierre said.

‘It should be independent, and again, those congressional members bring a lot of expertise to that committee.’

The committee isn’t being politicized by McCarthy. That was done by Pelosi. McCarthy is making the necessary correction to remove two members that have no business being on the Intelligence Committee. They are not trustworthy enough to be on a committee with such sensitive information.

The three Democrats held a joint press conference to complain about McCarthy’s actions. They accused him of doing Trump’s bidding.

Schiff said at the press conference, ‘The cardinal sin appears to be that I led the impeachment of his master in Mar-a-Lago, for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Ukraine, a nation that was even then at war, in order to extort that country into helping Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.’

Swalwell complained that McCarthy is using his power as speaker to ‘go after his political opponents and pick them off the field.’ ‘In my case it’s purely political vengeance,’ Swalwell added.

‘As he indicated, I sat in on that briefing and when Kevin McCarthy misrepresents it and does that disservice to the American people, it’s shameful,’ Schiff said. ‘This is a patently unfair smear by Mr. McCarthy,’ the California Democrat said.

Swalwell said all he did was two things: ‘I helped them over and over and I was never suspected of wrongdoing.’

Omar pointed out that she apologized for making anti-Semitic remarks early in her Congressional tenure.

‘I have addressed it, I’ve apologized. It’s been two and a half terms ago,’ the Minnesota Democrat said. ‘I think it is really important in all of our cases to remember it is not the accusations that McCarthy is making against us that is pushing for our removal from these committees.’

‘It is about revenge. It’s about appeasing the former president,’ she added.

She argued that ‘all three of us have been a thorn in the back of the previous disgraced president.’

‘Republicans have been gunning for our seats and obviously know how effective we have been in upholding the Constitution, in defending our democracy and standing up to extremists,’ she said.

Omar may have apologized for spewing anti-Semitic comments against Israel but she continues to do so. Her behavior has not changed. Pelosi turned a deaf ear to her rather and risk pissing off The Squad, a group of female progressives.

It is unclear if McCarthy has the votes to keep Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee. Republicans Victoria Spartz and Nancy Mace are opposed to McCarthy’s decision. Rep. Greg Steube is at home recovering from injuries suffered after falling off a ladder. The new Republican majority in the House removed the option for members to vote by proxy.