WASHINGTON — Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday tapped Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell to continue serving on the House Intelligence Committee, teeing up a long-anticipated fight with Speaker Kevin McCarthy who has vowed to block the pair from keeping their seats on the powerful panel.
The move means that the relationship between Jeffries, a New Yorker and new minority leader, and McCarthy, a Californian and new GOP speaker, is getting off to a rocky start.
Members of the Intelligence panel are selected differently than other congressional committees because it is a “select” committee. As speaker, McCarthy has the authority to choose a chairman and Republican members of the panel. Jeffries, as minority leader, can nominate Democrats to serve on the panel, but McCarthy has the power to reject them.
In numerous remarks to the press, McCarthy has promised to do just that in retribution for actions by his predecessor, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the Democrats in the last Congress.
“It is my understanding that you intend to break with the longstanding House tradition of deference to the minority party Intelligence Committee recommendations and deny seats to Ranking Member Schiff and Representative Swalwell,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to McCarthy, officially nominating the two Democrats.
“The denial of seats to duly elected Members of the House Democratic Caucus runs counter to the serious and sober mission of the Intelligence Committee.”
Punchbowl News was first to report on the Jeffries letter.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
