Politics

Kevin McCarthy: I will offer a resolution to remove Swalwell from the Intel Committee

Published

11 months ago

March 12, 2021

Staff Writer

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday he is planning on introducing a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the House Intelligence Committee.

McCarthy argued that Swalwell is a national security threat due to his former ties with an alleged Chinese spy and he should not be on the panel in charge of guarding our nation’s secrets.

“Pelosi just reappointed Eric Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee. Based on the briefing she and I received together, Swalwell should not be on the panel in charge of guarding our nation’s secrets. Next week, I will offer a resolution to remove him from the Intel Committee,” McCarthy tweeted on Friday.

Pelosi just reappointed Eric Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee. Based on the briefing she and I received together, Swalwell should not be on the panel in charge of guarding our nation's secrets.

Next week, I will offer a resolution to remove him from the Intel Committee.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) March 12, 2021

Following Pelosi and McCarthy’s briefing, McCarthy pushed for the removal of Swalwell, saying that the briefing raised more concerns of Swalwell being a national security threat.

“One thing I know for sure — I had questions about whether he should. That’s the one question that was answered, he should not be on Intel,” McCarthy said in December.

“I just think there are definitely 200 other Democrats that I know could fill that place,” McCarthy added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Friday that Swalwell will remain on the House Intelligence Committee despite allegations that he had a relationship with a suspected Chinese spy, Fang Fang.

Swalwell has refused to say if he had a romantic relationship with Fang Fang.

In February, 14 Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting a briefing on Swalwell’s entanglement with Fang.

“As our nation faces a growing security threat from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempts to infiltrate and undermine the United States Government, we write to request a full briefing regarding counterintelligence threats to Members of Congress, including information related to Representative Eric Swalwell’s ties to a suspected Chinese intelligence operative,” the legislators wrote.

The letter continued, “We must ensure the Committee can safeguard Top Secret information and make an informed decision regarding Rep. Swalwell’s future access to classified information.”

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

Politics

GOP Senators Condemn Biden Plan to Defund and Deprive Police

Published

10 hours ago

January 22, 2022

Sara Carter Staff

On Friday afternoon, a group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to President Joe Biden condemning his administration’s “plan to defund, deprive police of critical lifesaving resources by executive fiat.”

The Senators, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley of Iowa, expressed extreme concern over Biden’s proposed executive order (EO) that limits law enforcement’s access to nonlethal and lifesaving resources.

“Dear Mr. President,” the letter begins:

According to recent news reports, the White House is working with the Department of Justice on an executive order (hereinafter, “EO”) that would impose various police reforms and criminal-justice reforms on federal law enforcement, and possibly on state and local law enforcement, without Congress passing police reform or criminal justice reform legislation.^[1] Specifically, according to screenshots^[2] of a draft of such EO, the Administration would unilaterally impose the following new policies on law enforcement: restrictions to the 1033 program, expanding pattern and practice authority, planned expansion of 18 U.S.C § 242 prosecutions, and conditioning state and local law enforcement grants…

…Police officers will face a grim reality if this EO is enacted and their lifesaving equipment is restricted from them. Violent crime will continue to skyrocket when police officers are unable to stop these crimes and save innocent lives. We cannot understand why any elected official would want to stop law enforcement from safely doing their jobs other than to be able to tell their base of voters they are defunding the police.

In addition to Grassley, the letter was signed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Judiciary Committee members Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

The Senators say the restrictions “would come at a time when law enforcement needs our support more than ever.” Report after report shows homicides and violent crimes across the country are surging to record-breaking levels.

Amongst the most terrifying potential consequences is that the EO includes a section stating “the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall also use all tools at their disposal to promote adoption of the provisions of this executive order.”

The Senators point out in the letter that “this section is extremely concerning. It clearly lays out the groundwork for the Attorney General to strip power from the states and force them to comply with conditions on grants.”