During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union this weekend, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently blocked from joining the chamber’s intelligence committee, tore into the “weakness” exemplified by McCarthy’s stint as Speaker, in which he is also targeting Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.).
McCarthy already blocked Swalwell from also joining the intel panel, and Republicans may soon hold a vote in the House on removing Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Because of its distinct procedural underpinnings, that move requires a full House vote. Asked about his perspective on past comments from Omar claimed to be anti-Semitic, Schiff derided the idea that Republicans were particularly concerned about anti-Semitism at all. Trump, after all, dined with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago, both of whom have become known for spreading white supremacist and/or anti-Semitic propaganda. Fuentes puts on an event called the America First Political Action Conference where speakers have directly spelled out their adherence to white supremacist belief. It’s not remotely a secret.
“I believe that this is all a pretext,” Schiff said. “If you look at the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, he is dining with white nationalists and anti-Semites. The people that Kevin McCarthy just put on committees, like Marjorie Taylor Greene and others, are speaking at white nationalist rallies… 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. How can you on the one hand suggest that these are some kind of legitimate bases for unseating Democrats on committees and put someone like George Santos on any committee? The hypocrisy just grabs you by the throat.”
Greene has spoken at an edition of the annual event Fuentes hosts. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) has also gotten involved — and both will now be serving on the House Oversight Committee thanks to Republicans. Omar’s past comments were never anything particularly overt. Instead, she faced scrutiny for remarks in which anti-Semitic tropes, like Jews exerting control through finances, were seen by some, and she has apologized. Objectively, there is a difference between that situation and Trump repeatedly using a derogatory, inaccurate version of former Cabinet official Elaine Chao’s name. Where is the widespread Republican outrage about that? Watch Schiff below:
Schiff "This is all a pretext. If you look at the leader of the Republican Party, at Donald Trump, he's dining with white nationalists and anti-Semites. The people that McCarthy just put on committees like Marjorie Taylor Greene & others are speaking at white nationalist rallies" pic.twitter.com/mBa7AkEzXW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 29, 2023
