As RedState reported on Monday, Kevin McCarthy was left at a crossroads after Hakeem Jeffries attempted to reappoint Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff to the House Intelligence Committee. In a brazen letter, Jeffries demanded Swalwell and Schiff be reinstated, appealing to the very House tradition of minority deference Democrats had thoroughly shredded during the prior congress.
The minority leader also tried to draw a distinction between the behavior of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Swalwell and Schiff. What he didn’t mention is that the actions of the two California Democrats in question were far more dangerous and egregious. In Swalwell’s case, he’s been credibly accused of having an affair with a Chinese spy.
Now, McCarthy has responded to Jeffries with a simple answer: Pound sand.
There are some on the right who live to be upset, and no matter what McCarthy does, they are going to hate him, call him a RINO, and accuse him of being an establishment shill. Objectively, though, things are going pretty well so far, aren’t they? He’s kept his promise on the new Church Commission, appointing a Republican murderers’ row to it. He got the new rules package passed despite many doubting he could hold the caucus together. Further, as this article notes, he’s now made good on his pledge to boot Swalwell and Schiff from the Intelligence Committee.
Plus, he’s making The New York Times cry, and isn’t that the true test?
Democrats were warned. They were told that if they broke precedent and took away the minority’s control of its own committee appointments, there would be payback. Well, consider this is payback. The fact that McCarthy’s move is actually justified outside of partisan revenge only makes it better. Schiff abused his power, leaking classified information and slandering people with false innuendo for years. He can not be trusted with the access that is given to members of the Intelligence Committee, and Swalwell is, well, he’s Swalwell. There’s no further explanation needed past mentioning the name Fang Fang.
Jeffries and the rest of his caucus haven’t quite figured out yet what it means to be in the minority, but they are going to learn soon enough. They don’t get to dictate committees anymore, and they don’t get to abuse House rules to punish their political opponents. No amount of the press crying foul will change that. It’s a new day and the time for Democrats to prevent the backlash they are facing was about two years ago.