Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal of Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and Adam Schiff (Calif.) from the panel will hurt the county.
Himes told “MSNBC Reports” host Alex Witt that he understands why Republicans are so angry with Schiff, who led the first impeachment of former President Trump.
“That made them angry. And to appease his right wing, Kevin McCarthy sort of had to throw Adam Schiff on the fire along with Eric Swalwell,” Himes said, referring to the Speaker's decision to block the lawmakers from the Intelligence Committee.
“That hurts our national security. Between the two of them, they’ve got 20 years of intelligence oversight, and that evidently is gone now,” Himes added. “And that’s a — that makes us a less safe country.”
McCarthy formally blocked both Schiff and Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence Committee in a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), writing that both lawmaker's previous actions made them unfit to have jurisdiction over and access to sensitive national security issues.
“In order to maintain a standard worthy of this committee’s responsibilities, I am hereby rejecting the appointments of Representative Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell to serve on the Intelligence Committee,” McCarthy wrote in his letter.
McCarthy is also seeking to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. However, unlike Intelligence, which is a select committee, McCarthy will need majority support in the House to oust Omar, and it's unclear he has the votes.
“This is some Bakersfield BS,” Swalwell said on CNN’s “State of the Union”.
“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.
As members of the House continue to receive committee assignments for the new Congress, Republicans are shaking up several panels with their newly obtained majority.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has doubled down on promises to block certain Democrats from top panels, while several Republicans who played key roles in his long, drawn-out fight for Speaker have found their way onto prominent committees.
More committee assignments remain to be handed out, but here are the six main takeaways so far:
Greene, Gosar back on committees
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined at left by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) were placed back on committees on Tuesday, after having their committee assignments stripped in 2021.
Both Greene and Gosar were selected to sit on the Oversight and Accountability Committee, while Greene was also chosen to serve on the Homeland Security Committee and Gosar was picked to sit on the Natural Resources Committee.
Greene, who had reportedly lobbied for the spot on the Oversight committee, was a key supporter of McCarthy throughout his bid for Speaker. She was stripped of her committee assignments in February 2021, just one month after joining Congress, for espousing conspiracy theories and encouraging violence against Democratic officials on social media.
Gosar was censured and removed from his committees in November 2021, after he posted an anime-style video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and engaging in a sword fight with President Biden.
McCarthy sparks fresh anger with vow to keep Omar off Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks to reporters during a break in a House Democratic caucus meeting and leadership election on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 for the 118th session of Congress.
McCarthy has recently doubled down on his previous vows to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) off the Foreign Affairs Committee, sparking fresh anger among Democrats and Muslim advocacy groups.
Omar, one of three Muslim members of Congress, has been critical of the Israeli government and its supporters, leading to accusations of antisemitism.
“Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker, I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based on her repeated anti-semitic and anti-American remarks,” McCarthy said in a tweet in November. “I'm keeping that promise.”
McCarthy reportedly told the GOP conference last week that he still plans to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Robert McCaw, the government affairs department director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the decision to reinstate Greene and Gosar while threatening to remove Omar “absolute insanity and hypocrisy” in a statement on Wednesday.
“Racism and Islamophobia would be the only explanation for this hypocritical double-standard,” McCaw said.
While McCarthy has promised to block Omar’s appointment, he cannot do so alone. In order to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, House Republicans would have to bring the matter to a vote on the House floor.
Schiff, Swalwell future on Intel panel still in peril
In this May 28, 2019 file photo, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speak with members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Reps. Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) futures on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence also remain in peril, as McCarthy has similarly promised to boot both California Democrats from the powerful panel.
McCarthy has cited accusations that Schiff, the former chair of the Intelligence Committee, lied to the public about the extent of former President Trump’s ties to Russia during his 2016 campaign and exaggerated the central assertion of Trump’s first impeachment.
The first impeachment, which Schiff led, accused Trump of pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate his political rivals by threatening to withhold aid.
In Swalwell’s case, McCarthy has pointed to his ties to an alleged Chinese spy who helped fundraise for the congressman in 2014. However, Swalwell reportedly cut ties with the individual after the FBI informed him of her identity.
Swalwell was also an impeachment manager for Trump’s second impeachment over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Schiff’s and Swalwell’s positions on the Intelligence Committee are in a particularly precarious state, given that McCarthy can unilaterally reject their appointments without bringing a resolution to the House floor for a vote.
Santos gets committee assignments
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., departs after attending a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the embattled first-term lawmaker who has admitted to lying about his background on the campaign trail, was seated on the Small Business Committee and Science, Space and Technology Committee on Tuesday.
McCarthy had confirmed last week that Santos would be seated on committees, even as several members of the Republican conference called for his resignation.
“I try to stick by the Constitution. The voters elected him to serve. If there is a concern, and he has to go through the Ethics [Committee], let him move through that,” McCarthy told reporters.
Santos is facing investigations on multiple fronts, as his claims about his background continue to unravel. The Nassau County district attorney and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York have both launched probes into the New York Republican, while Brazilian authorities reopened a fraud case against Santos from 2008.
Complaints have also been filed with the House Ethics Committee and Federal Election Commission over allegations that Santos falsified his financial disclosures and violated campaign finance laws.
McCarthy detractors get seats on Financial Services, Appropriations panels
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) addresses reporters after a closed-door House Republican conference meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
Several Republican members who opposed McCarthy’s bid for Speaker, drawing out the fight over a historic four days and 15 ballots, received seats on top House panels last week.
Of the 20 members of the anti-McCarthy group, Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) were both appointed to the Financial Services Committee, while Reps. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) found their way on to the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) also maintained his spot on the Financial Services Committee.
While GOP leadership has said that no members were promised committee assignments as part of its negotiations during the Speaker fight, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) noted last week that they did agree to ensure that “committees are represented by a whole swath of our membership.”
This has largely translated into providing hard-line conservatives with more spots on prominent committees.
Foxx gets waiver to lead Education panel
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing examining the policies and priorities of the Department of Labor on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) was selected to chair the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, after receiving a waiver from GOP leadership.
House GOP rules only permit members to serve as the head of a committee for three consecutive terms. As Foxx is beginning her fourth term as the top Republican on the education panel, she required a waiver to serve as chair.
Representative Eric Swalwell accused former President Trump of “rooting” for Russia in their war effort against Ukraine and alleged if he were still in office, the former President would be running arms to Vladimir Putin.
Swalwell made the comments on social media.
The California Democrat roped Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo into his criticism of those he alleges are ‘pro-Russia.’
“Do not let Republicans rewrite whose side they were on before Russia attacked Ukraine. Led by Trump/Tucker/Pompeo many were rooting for Russia,” he wrote. “Let’s be real: if Trump was president we’d be sending weapons to Russia.”
Do not let Republicans rewrite whose side they were on before Russia attacked Ukraine. Led by Trump/Tucker/Pompeo many were rooting for Russia. Let’s be real: if Trump was president we’d be sending weapons to Russia. #StandWithUkriane
Swalwell Took Donations From Russia ‘Putin Pipeline’ Lobbyist
Swalwell accusing Republicans of being cozy with Russia may be a bit of projection on the congressman’s part.
The Washington Free Beacon reports that Swalwell’s campaign received a $2,900 donation in 2018 and a $5,400 donation to his campaign in 2018 from Vincent Roberti Sr., who chairs the group Roberti Global.
Roberti is reportedly a top lobbyist for Nord Stream 2 AG, the group behind the Russian pipeline at the center of European politics and which President Biden recently sanctioned after that country invaded Ukraine.
Senate Democrats just last month defended Nord Stream 2 by rejecting an effort by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to impose sanctions related to the Russian-German natural gas pipeline before Biden had to relent after the invasion.
Trump later froze $400 million in congressionally approved security assistance to Ukraine after a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
That phone call later became the focus of a successful impeachment effort against Trump.
The former President later released the military aid.
That anyone believes this garbage is bad not just because it’s typical partisan garbage, but because it obscures a key cause of the conflict: that Trump chose to demonstrate how Tough he was by pumping weapons into Ukraine, turning the country into a de facto US military outpost https://t.co/nXQ118J0CL
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko went to Washington in 2014, when Barack Obama and Joe Biden were in office, and pleaded his case for weapons to defend his country.
He declared at the time “one cannot win a war with blankets.”
Following his speech, The Wall Street Journal reported that “President Barack Obama stuck to his refusal to provide weapons or other lethal military gear to Ukraine.”
RUSSIAN INVASION: “ IF I WERE PRESIDENT, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED” – TRUMP
“I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country.” – Donald J. Trump.
Trump has insisted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he were President.
“This should have never happened. This would not have happened during my administration,” he said. “It’s a sad thing for the world and the country and a lot of people that will be needlessly killed.”
A recent poll shows that a majority of Americans – 62% – agree that Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump were President.
Swalwell recently suggested “kicking every Russian student out of the United States” as a means of retaliating against Putin, something that had it been suggested by a Republican would have resulted in charges of xenophobia.
During his Fox News show on Sunday night, former Republican congressman Trey Gowdy blasted “partisan” media outlets for not holding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accountable after she rejected multiple Republican lawmakers for her House commission investigating the January 6 Capitol riots.
Gowdy Sounds Off
“The DC media tells us they ‘speak truth to power.’ They tell us ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness.’ They tell us they publish ‘All the News that is Fit to Print,’ and a host of other meaningless self-congratulatory platitudes, but they can’t question Pelosi on her open duplicity when it comes to congressional investigations,” Gowdy began.
Gowdy went on to remind his viewers of Pelosi’s questionable history regarding previous high-profile committee placements.
“She put Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on the Benghazi committee, even though his mind was fully made up, and he did everything he could to protect the Democrat nominee for president,” he argued. “That was his job. Not to interview survivors, not to access information, not to ascertain why the military did not respond in a timely manner, but protect Hillary Clinton. Pelosi picked him despite his bias.”
Not stopping there, Gowdy said that Pelosi also tapped Schiff to investigate former President Donald Trump over Russia collusion allegations, “even though Schiff misstated evidence, prejudged the outcome and claimed to have evidence he never produced.”
“She picked Schiff to lead the prosecution in a failed impeachment trial, even though Schiff misstated facts, misrepresented a meeting with the whistleblower, and manufactured evidence during a committee hearing…Pelosi picked him anyway,” he continued.
Months after that, Pelosi let Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) keep his seat on the House Intelligence Committee even though reports came out that he’d had a close relationship with a Chinese spy.
Despite this, Pelosi rejected Trump allies Republican Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN) from her commission investigating the Capitol riot.
“There is not a single cop, prosecutor or judge who would be allowed to remain on those cases if he or she did what Schiff, Swalwell… or the others did. Not one,” Gowdy said. “She picked her own biased members but she rejected Jim Jordan. Jordan is the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, he was on the Intelligence Committee, which has more access to more sensitive information than any committee in Congress.”
“Jordan has participated in previous investigations, he worked hard, and he didn’t leak, which is more than I could say for many of his colleagues,” Gowdy said. “But whether you like Jim Jordan or not is irrelevant, whether you think the previous investigations or even the current investigations are appropriate is beside the point, Congress has the power and often responsibility to investigate, it should be fair.”
“It is fair to ask, why Democrat members of congress are free to prejudge evidence…run against the person they are investigating….and yet they are qualified for service on an investigative committee, but Jim Jordan is not?” he questioned.
“That is the question,” he added. “Why Schiff and not Jordan? Why Swalwell and not Jordan? Why is it your members can have their minds already made up, but somehow that is disqualifying for the other side?”
“It’s the sort of question a serious objective media would ask.… but the modern media in this country is just as partisan as politicians themselves,” he concluded. “‘Truth to Power,’ they claim. ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness,’ they claim. Well,” he said, “it doesn’t do well in the slew of hypocrisy either, that is where we are right now, and in no small part because the referee is just as partisan as the players.
This piece was written by James Samson on August 2, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
A new report from The Daily Caller shows that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds on alcohol, pricy restaurants, limo services, and the opulent hotel where is wife had previously worked.
In Federal Election Commission reports first reviewed by Fox News, the Swalwell for Congress campaign committee spent roughly $500,000 during the second quarter of 2021, a curious amount of money for a non-election year.
While there have been no accusations of wrong doing, the half-million-dollar spending spree by a congressman in a non-competitive district has raised some eyebrows.
Fox and the New York Post had initially ran headlines that indicated Swalwell’s wife currently works at the hotel in question, but have since updated their pieces.
Swalwell clearly has expensive tastes and has run up some fairly hefty bills in three months time. Some of those expenses include over $10,000 for limo rides and other luxury car services.
According to FEC records, the Swalwell campaign spent approximately $7,000 on posh restaurants in Washington D.C., and also an additional 13 meals at high-end restaurants in New York City and California.
In the “food and beverage” category, the campaign bought from Capitol Hill Wine & Spirits, a local D.C. liquor store during seven trips totaling $1,151 for ‘refreshments.’
The Swalwell for Congress campaign was not through. Over $26,000 was spent on expensive hotels, including $20,000 at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, where Swalwell’s wife Brittany was apparently employed as director of sales for the hotel up until 2019.
Swalwell’s Congressional district regularly votes 70+% Democrat, making his campaign fundraising and spending a pretty sweet gig, if you can get it.
Settle down… it was part of a healing process to clear his mind and recenter his chi after banging a Chinese spy and farting on TV. @RepSwalwell amirite?
Eric Swalwell has been at the center of some recent controversies. In 2020, Swalwell was suspected of having a close relationship with a woman named Fang Fang, who is suspected of being a Chinese spy.
Fang helped to raise campaign funds for Swalwell’s 2014 campaign, and had an intern hired in Swalwell’s D.C. office. Forbes also says that Fang worked as a bundler of sorts for Swalwell, convincing big-money donors to write checks to the campaign.
Eric Swalwell has been one of the most outspoken Democrat critics of former President Donald Trump. He was one of the loudest accusing Trump of colluding with Russia.
He served as a House Impeachment Manager, and in March, filed a lawsuit against Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL).
The suit claimed that both Trumps, Giuliani, and Brooks should be held liable for any injuries or destruction that Swalwell claimed came from their alleged incitement of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
As allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a suspected Chinese spy and alleged campaign fund irregularities surround him, Swalwell continues to serve on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.
We’re really looking forward to hearing Dem Rep. Eric Swalwell’s explanation for his campaign’s luxury spending spree https://t.co/gQa4LMXP7N
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Donald Trump fired back at CNN over a report claiming Congressman Matt Gaetz asked for and was denied a meeting with the former President as he is currently engrossed in sexual misconduct allegations.
CNN anonymously cited “two people familiar with the matter” in their report indicating “Gaetz tried to schedule a visit with Trump after it was first revealed that he was being investigated.”
Trump fired back, labeling CNN “fake news” while claiming the report was “false.”
“Fake News CNN, relying on all anonymous sources, meaning they probably made the whole thing up, wrote a very dishonest story claiming Congressman Matt Gaetz asked for a meeting with me at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, and was denied,” he said in a statement.
Trump Advises CNN To Check Into Swalwell Instead Of Gaetz
The former President went on to suggest that CNN should consider covering the Eric Swalwell scandal involving his reported association with a Chinese spy.
A bombshell Axios report in December indicated that a woman by the name of Christine Fang (aka Fang Fang) “took part in fundraising activity for Rep. Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign” and interacted with the Congressman “at multiple events over the course of several years.”
Fang had allegedly served as a Chinese Intelligence operative with China’s Ministry of State Security.
Tucker Carlson says that “U.S. Intelligence officials believe” that a suspected Chinese spy “had a sexual relationship with” Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA) and that Swalwell’s office couldn’t comment on it because they said that info might be “classified”pic.twitter.com/biV78uVZHB
“Why doesn’t CNN investigate and write about lightweight Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, who had a torrid and physical relationship with the Chinese spy Fang-Fang, but is somehow on the once-prestigious House Intelligence Committee,” Trump wondered.
Not only was he never asked to step down by his Democrat colleagues, but Swalwell was actually promoted as a House Impeachment Manager during the Senate trial against Trump.
According to Axios, Swalwell was notified by federal investigators about Fang in 2015, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Former President Donald Trump says CNN made up yet another story about him, and notes Eric Swalwell continues to serve on House Intel Committee, after relationship with Chinese spy. pic.twitter.com/cAmxS7Sv91
Trump couldn’t resist taking a jab at Swalwell by citing his “record-setting 0% in the polls” when he dropped out of the presidential race in 2020.
“[Swalwell] has been compromised and is a national security threat to the United States,” Trump added. “He should be removed from the Committee immediately!”
BREAKING: The House Ethics Committee is launching an investigation into Eric Swalwell and Ilhan Omar.
Just kidding, just kidding!
The House Ethics Committee’s only purpose is to target Matt Gaetz.
House impeachment manager Eric Swalwell has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the Capitol riot on January 6th.
Swalwell (D-CA) becomes the second Democrat lawmaker to sue Trump for inciting the riot.
The suit also names Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) as co-conspirators.
“The Defendants … convinced the mob that something was occurring that – if actually true – might indeed justify violence, and then sent that mob to the Capitol with violence-laced calls for immediate action,” the lawsuit alleges.
It also makes the incredibly specious claim that Trump “directly incited the violence at the Capitol.”
Even CNN seems skeptical of the chances for Swalwell succeeding, saying the lawsuit “could bump up against free speech protections for speakers at the rally” as well as immunity protections afforded a person who was serving as President at the time.
Today, I filed a civil claim against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudolph Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks for inciting an attack against the Capitol that terrorized lawmakers and prevented us from certifying the votes of the American people.
Swalwell’s Lawsuit Cites the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act
Representative Swalwell’s lawsuit references the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act which was passed in an effort to address, obviously, the KKK.
It prohibits violence or intimidation meant to prevent members of Congress or other federal officials from carrying out their constitutional duties.
Both the new lawsuit and one filed by Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee last month, cite the Act.
“[Trump’s] gleeful support of violent white supremacists led to a breach of the Capitol that put my life, and that of my colleagues, in grave danger,” Thompson said at the time of his filing.
“It is by the slimmest of luck that the outcome was not deadlier.”
New: Rep. Bennie Thompson filed a lawsuit in federal court today against Trump, Giuliani, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers alleging they conspired to interfere with Congress’s certification of the election, in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act https://t.co/suhMsNVyiipic.twitter.com/BIuEAMB0PH
Jason Miller, a Trump adviser, blasted Swalwell as a “low-life” with “no credibility.”
“Now, after failing miserably with two impeachment hoaxes,” Swalwell is attacking the President with yet another witch hunt,” Miller said.
Miller then took a jab at the California Democrat over his reported association with a Chinese spy.
“It’s a disgrace that a compromised Member of Congress like Swalwell still sits on the House Intelligence Committee,” he said.
A bombshell Axios report in December indicated that a woman by the name of Christine Fang “took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign” and that she interacted with the Congressman “at multiple events over the course of several years.”
Fang had served as a Chinese Intelligence operative with China’s Ministry of State Security.
Tucker Carlson says that “U.S. Intelligence officials believe” that a suspected Chinese spy “had a sexual relationship with” Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA) and that Swalwell’s office couldn’t comment on it because they said that info might be “classified”pic.twitter.com/biV78uVZHB
Several lawmakers expressed outrage following a report that National Guard troops had been “banished” to a parking garage after serving to defend against potential threats at the inauguration of President Biden.
Politico reported Thursday night that U.S. Capitol Police officials had the Guard troops removed from the facilities “sending them outdoors or to nearby parking garages after two weeks pulling security duty” following the Capitol riots in early January.
The report notes that outdoor temperatures in the area fell into the 40s, while conditions inside the parking garage for one unit of 5,000 consisted of just one electrical outlet and one bathroom.
One Guardsman conveyed his feelings about the situation to Politico.
“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service,” he said.
“Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage,” the Guardsman added. “We feel incredibly betrayed.”
MILITARY SOURCE IN DC:
“For the last week my battalion has been sleeping on the floor in the Senate cafeteria. Today the Senate kicked us out & moved us to a cold parking garage.
5000 soldiers.
1 power outlet.
One bathroom.
This is how Joe Biden’s America treats solders.”
National Guard Troops Banished to Garage Following Biden Inauguration
A CNN report shortly thereafter indicated the National Guard troops had been “banished” to the garage but were “allowed back into the Capitol Complex” following an outcry from lawmakers.
The initial move to force them into a garage reflected poorly on Democrats considering the troops were used to help defend the inauguration of one of their own party members.
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), an Iraq war veteran, tweeted, “Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight. I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”
Her Senate colleague Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) also took to Twitter writing, “This is outrageous, shameful, and incredibly disrespectful to the men and women keeping the U.S. Capitol safe and secure. We need it fixed and we need answers on how it happened.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who typically despises law and order, chimed in.
Yeah this is not okay.
My office is free this week to any service members who’d like to use it for a break or take nap on the couch. We’ll stock up on snacks for you all too.
(We’re in the middle of moving offices and it’s a bit messy so don’t judge, but make yourself at home!) https://t.co/JyEvC4kg6o
Even Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) gave out his office location and offered it to accommodate the National Guard troops, a service he normally reserves for Chinese spies – allegedly.
My office is 174 Cannon. We will be open first thing in the morning and can accommodate any troops who stop by.
The Democrat outrage was necessary because the optics of having the National Guard protect a Democrat president and then be summarily dismissed to a garage is outrageous.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), upon hearing the reports, called out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot?” he asked. “They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers.”
Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot?
There is no evidence that Pelosi, Schumer, or any other Democrat had any role in placing the National Guard troops in a parking garage. In fact, that would seem to fall on the shoulders of the Capitol police.
Still, it’s difficult to view the Guard’s treatment as further evidence that Democrats used them – either for a photo op for President Biden following overblown reports of a threat at the Capitol, or worse, simply as a means to prevent a pro-Trump rally from breaking out at his inauguration.
Remember weeks ago when reports surfaced that team Biden was worried about a MAGA rally breaking out at the inauguration?
I defy anybody to deny the fact that they USED 25,000 National Guard troops with the sole purpose of keeping that from happening.
It wasn’t that long ago that the left ridiculed former President Trump for using National Guard troops to protect the southern border from actual threats to our nation, belittling them as props.
Now they’ve been used as props because a man so popular that he received 81 million votes in the presidential election had to be protected from the American people.
When their purpose had been served, our troops were quickly cast aside … until photos started leaking about what had happened.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who has had his own fair share of problems lately in the wake of the scandal involving him allegedly associating with a suspected Chinese spy, spoke out on Tuesday night to compare President Donald Trump to the late 9/11 terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Swalwell Compares Trump To Osama bin Laden
“Well, Osama bin Laden did not enter US soil on September 11, but it was widely acknowledged that he was responsible for inspiring the attack on our country,” Swalwell said on “PBS NewsHour.”
“And the president, with his words — using the word ‘fight,’ with the speakers that he assembled that day, who called for trial by combat and said we have to take names and kick ass — that is hate speech that inspired and radicalized people to storm the Capitol,” he continued.
A visibly surprised host Judy Woodruff asked of Swalwell was really comparing Trump to bin Laden, at which time the Democrat doubled down.
“I’m comparing the words of a [sic] individual who would incite and radicalize somebody, as Osama bin Laden did, to what President Trump did,” Swalwell said. “You don’t actually have to commit the violence yourself, but if you call others to violence, that itself is a crime.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell compares President Trump to Osama bin Laden saying that he "inspired and radicalized people to storm the Capitol" in the same way that bin Laden inspired 9-11 pic.twitter.com/pYr3l4qhMw
Republicans Demand Swalwell Be Removed From House Intelligence Committee
This comes one month after seventeen Republicans sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) demanding that Swalwell be immediately removed from the House Intelligence Committee after his relationship with a suspected Chinese spy was revealed.
“We write to you today out of concern with Congressman Eric Swalwell’s reported, close contacts with a Chinese Communist Party spy recently reported by Axios. Because of Rep. Swalwell’s position on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, his close interactions with Chinese intelligence services, however unintentional they may be, are an unacceptable national security risk,” they said in the letter.
“HPSCI handles some of the most sensitive information our government possesses — information critical to our national defense,” they added. “As such, we urge you to immediately remove Rep. Swalwell from his position on the House Intelligence Committee.”
Not only did Pelosi not remove Swalwell from the intelligence committee, she has also just made him one of her impeachment managers in her effort to remove President Donald Trump from office.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced nine managers she has chosen to lead President Trump’s second impeachment, with Rep. Eric Swalwell among them.
Swalwell’s inclusion is a bit of a surprise, having been named in a report last month indicating he had been the target of a Chinese spy.
“Congressman Swalwell serves on House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he chairs the Intelligence Modernization and Readiness Subcommittee, and on the Judiciary Committee,” a press release from the Speaker’s office reads.
“He is a former prosecutor and is the son and brother of law enforcement officers. He is serving his fifth term in Congress.”
Swalwell has never been a serious member of Congress, let alone somebody who should be placed in positions of power.
His latest rants calling Republican senators objecting to the election results as being members of the “Coup Klux Klan” and falsely alleging they were fraternizing with “terrorists” is yet another example.
WATCH: I joined @foxandfriends this morning to talk about the Democrats’ shameful snap impeachment, why Nancy Pelosi named the “compromised by the Chinese Communist Party” Eric Swalwell as an Impeachment Manager, and the future of the Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/glQ7to2XKb
Eric Swalwell, Named in Chinese Spy Report, Is Now an Impeachment Manager
Pelosi naming Eric Swalwell as an impeachment manager seems to be a nod that she supports the embattled Democrat congressman despite his alleged connections to a Chinese spy.
A bombshell Axios report last month indicated that a woman by the name of Christine Fang “took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election campaign” and that she interacted with the Congressman “at multiple events over the course of several years.”
Fang had served as a Chinese Intelligence operative with China’s Ministry of State Security.
The FBI warned Swalwell about Fang in 2015 during his first year on the House intelligence committee.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson added to the scandal by alleging during a broadcast that “U.S. intelligence officials believe that Fang had a sexual relationship with” Swalwell.
The Democrat refused to comment on the matter, citing such information as being possibly classified.
Tucker Carlson says that “U.S. Intelligence officials believe” that a suspected Chinese spy “had a sexual relationship with” Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA) and that Swalwell’s office couldn’t comment on it because they said that info might be “classified”pic.twitter.com/biV78uVZHB
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) immediately called for Swalwell’s removal from Congress following the reports, while others insisted he should have been removed by the House Intelligence Committee long ago.
Pelosi defended her colleague, saying she didn’t have “any concern” about him.
Swalwell, thus far, has not been accused of any wrongdoing by any intelligence officials.
.@repswalwell: “The most unsettling part of all of this is that they were able to get so close and we had to retreat from America’s floor of democracy.” pic.twitter.com/KxT9hElWrm
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) will serve as the lead impeachment manager. Raskin, of course, plotted Trump’s impeachment before he stepped foot in the White House.
In fact, prior to President Trump’s inauguration day, the lead manager had impeachment on the brain.
“I just know that if I’m going to vote to impeach the man at some point, I would like to be able to look him in the eye on Inauguration Day,” he said when asked if he planned on attending the event.
Demonstrating just how unserious this impeachment team is, Raskin objected to certification of Florida’s electoral votes in 2017.
Yes, the same reason Democrats are screaming that Trump must be impeached, that Republicans must be expelled from Congress, that conservatives must be purged from social media – objecting to electoral votes – is exactly what Raskin did just three years ago.
Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin objected to Florida’s electoral votes in 2017. pic.twitter.com/FsLvJLvA8v
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland rose to object to 10 of Florida’s 29 electoral votes.
“They violated Florida’s prohibition against dual office holders,” Raskin said.
Again, despite the fact that Raskin pointed out that he had his objection in writing, he failed to get a senator’s signature.
In fact, House Democrats tried objecting to the certification of electoral votes for Donald Trump 11 separate times. Why were there no calls for their expulsion?
(@breannamorello) 
I joined