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Tag: Eric Swalwell

  • Swalwell governor bid hit with residency questions after court filing alleges he doesn’t live in California

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    Longtime political foe of President Donald Trump Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell is facing a legal campaign challenge after a conservative activist filed a petition claiming the lawmaker is allegedly prohibited from running for California governor because he doesn’t actually live in the Golden State.

    “Public records searches reveal no current ownership or leasehold interest held by Eric Swalwell in California, nor any history of any ownership of leasehold interest based on available public records,” a petition filed Jan. 8 by filmmaker and activist Joel Gilbert states, the New York Post reported.

    “Swalwell’s congressional financial disclosers from 2011 to 2024 list no California real estate ownership,” the petition added. 

    The left-wing lawmaker’s gubernatorial campaign, however, has hit back at the petition as a “nonsense claim” that the team looks forward to “beating” in court. 

    SWALWELL CAMPAIGN IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ACCEPTING ALMOST $15K FROM CCP-TIED LAW FIRM: ‘STOP PLAYING FOOTSIE’

    Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is suing a Trump official after he was criminally referred to the Department of Justice. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

    Swalwell has served as a California congressman since 2013, and announced his candidacy to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom when his second term ends in January 2027. The gubernatorial race already is crowded with at least 10 candidates slated to be on the ballot in the nonpartisan primary in June. 

    Swalwell is viewed as a front-runner as the race gets underway. 

    The court filing claims that the congressman listed the address for the office of his attorney on campaign filings and not a residential California address. The address listed in the court filing shows an office building in downtown Sacramento. 

    State law requires the California governor be a resident of the state five years prior to his or her election. 

    “The governor shall be an elector who has been a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state for 5 years immediately preceding the governor’s election,” the filing states, outlining the California Constitution’s residential requirements of governors.  

    Trump holds up a fist

    President Donald Trump pumps his fist at Christmas Eve dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla.  (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

    When approached for comment on the matter, a campaign general consultant for Swalwell said the lawmaker has always resided in California across his political career and that his attorney’s address was listed on the campaign filing due to death threats he has received. 

    SWALWELL THREATENS TO REVOKE DRIVER’S LICENSES OF MASKED ICE AGENTS OPERATING IN CALIFORNIA

    “Since joining Congress, Eric Swalwell has always had a residence in the Bay Area. He has always had a California driver’s license, paid California taxes, and starts his California mornings with Johnny’s Donuts maple bars in Dublin. This nonsense claim comes from a MAGA blogger who made a film claiming Elvis is alive. We look forward to beating him in court,” Kate Maeder, Swalwell campaign consultant, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement Monday morning. 

    “Because of the thousands of death threats the Congressman has received, it is perfectly legal to list a campaign office as the address for his legal filings,” she added. 

    Gilbert’s petition calls on the California secretary of state to “fulfill her constitutional duty” and disqualify Swalwell from the race. 

    “The criteria for running for governor of California according to the California Constitution is a candidate must be resident of the state for 5 years prior to the election,” Gilbert told Fox Digital in additional comment on Monday afternoon. “Swalwell’s response that he has a California driver’s license or pays California taxes or went to a Donut shop in Dubin is irrelevant and a smoke screen. He’s a lawyer and should know better.”

    The director added in response to Swalwell’s campaign: “My film about Elvis is a comedy! Swalwell is clueless every time he Tweets or opens his mouth or files a document!”

    The director added that the campaign’s response was “absurd” as it related to “beating” Gilber in court, as Swalwell is not being sued, and instead the filing calls on the California secretary of state to respond. 

    “He clearly doesn’t understand the law at all despite being an attorney,” Gilbert said, before doubling down that candidates must prove residency on the state’s candidate intention statement. 

    In November 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a probe into Swalwell’s past mortgages, specifically investigating if allegations of millions of dollars in loans and refinancing were based on Swalwell declaring that his primary residence was in Washington, D.C.

    CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ERIC SWALWELL EMBRACES ROLE AS TRUMP’S LOUDEST CRITIC AMID NEW DOJ PROBE

    Swalwell, Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitita James all have been referred to the DOJ over allegations of mortgage fraud since President Donald Trump‘s return to the Oval Office.

    Following the DOJ opening a probe into his mortgages, Swalwell filed a lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who referred Swalwell to the DOJ for criminal review, alleging that he abused his position to obtain the mortgage records of numerous Democrats. 

    Eric Swalwell

    Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) speaks at a press conference on committee assignments. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    “Either he’s guilty of mortgage fraud in Washington, DC, or he’s ineligible to run for governor of California,” Gilbert told the Daily Mail. “He can’t have it both ways.”

    Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Gilbert by email for additional comment on the court filing Monday afternoon. 

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    The feud between Swalwell and Trump dates to Trump’s first term, when Swalwell emerged as one of the former president’s most vocal congressional critics and served as a House impeachment manager, cementing a long-running political rivalry. 

    Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

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  • Rep. Swalwell sues Trump official over mortgage fraud allegations: ‘A gross abuse of power’

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    Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., accused a top housing official of secretly pulling Democrats’ private mortgage records and weaponizing them to trigger federal criminal probes, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

    In the suit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., Swalwell claimed that Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte abused his position to obtain the mortgage records of numerous Democrats, which he used in criminal referrals to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

    The civil suit argued that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) did not have the authority to obtain, use or leak private data belonging to several prominent Democrats, who are widely viewed as staunch critics of President Donald Trump.

    “Today I have filed a civil lawsuit against FHA Director Bill Pulte for violating the Privacy Act and First Amendment,” Swalwell said in a statement. “Director Pulte has combed through private records of political opponents. To silence them.”

    REPUBLICANS FEUD OVER ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE, BUT CRITICS OFFER NO CLEAR ALTERNATIVE

    Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., filed a lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, accusing him of illegally accessing private mortgage records to trigger a DOJ probe. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    According to the lawsuit, Pulte “abused his position” by scouring government-sponsored databases for the private records of a number of Democrats, including Swalwell, which he then used “to concoct fanciful allegations of mortgage fraud” that he referred to the DOJ for prosecution, the lawsuit stated.

    The DOJ opened a probe into Swalwell on Nov. 13 over alleged mortgage fraud.

    The lawsuit stated that Pulte claimed in his referral to the DOJ that Swalwell falsely claimed his D.C. home as his primary residence on a mortgage agreement to help secure more favorable loan terms.

    Rep. Eric Swalwell

    Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is suing a Trump official after he was criminally referred to the Department of Justice. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

    But the California Democrat’s suit described the allegations in the referral as a “gross mischaracterization of reality” that represents “a gross abuse of power that violated the law.”

    “The allegations in Pulte’s referral are patently false,” the suit argued.

    The DOJ probe came as Swalwell set his sights on a higher office, announcing last week that he is launching a campaign for California governor in 2026. The lawsuit claims that the release of his personal information has harmed his reputation ahead of his gubernatorial campaign and forced him to “expend personal resources” as he fights the DOJ probe.

    LAWYERS FOR COOK, DOJ TRADE BLOWS AT HIGH-STAKES CLASH OVER FED FIRING

    Swalwell added in his complaint that the “widespread publication of information about the home where his wife and young children reside has exposed him to heightened security risks and caused him significant anguish and distress.”

    Swalwell claims in his suit that his political views have “earned him the ire of President Trump.” The lawsuit points to additional referrals FHFA made to the DOJ involving political figures who are seen as critics of Trump, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, arguing that there is a pattern of political retaliation.

    A federal judge threw out the indictment against Letitia James on Monday.

    Swalwell argued that Pulte’s “unlawful actions” were intentional and represented “a purposeful attack on core democratic norms and reflect a base desire to achieve exactly what the First Amendment and the Privacy Act exist to prevent: the use of government machinery to chill and silence the government’s critics.”

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    Eric Swalwell of California

    Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is accusing a top housing official of pulling Democrats’ private mortgage records and weaponizing them to trigger federal criminal probes, according to a lawsuit filed on Nov. 25. (Getty Images)

    Swalwell is seeking damages, a declaration that FHFA violated federal law and an injunction forcing the agency to retract its referral.

    Pulte and the Federal Housing Finance Agency did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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  • Eric Swalwell Throws His Hat in the Ring for California Governor – LAmag

    As Gavin Newsom wraps up his last term as California’s governor, several contenders are lining up to replace him. The latest to enter the race is Representative Eric Swalwell

    Rep. Eric Swalwell officially launched his campaign for California governor on Nov. 20, declaring himself a “protector and fighter” for the state. The East Bay congressman made the announcement during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night.

    “Our state, this great state, needs a fighter and a protector,” Swalwell told Kimmel. “Someone who will bring prices down, lift wages up.”

    Swalwell’s two main objectives if elected are clear: pushing back on Donald Trump and making California more affordable. Swalwell believes the next governor must keep Trump “out of our homes, streets and lives” while also ushering in a new era of California that focuses on lower costs, economic growth and modernization.

    “Nancy Pelosi selected me for the Intelligence Committee and to help lead the impeachment of a corrupt president,” Swalwell said in his promotional video on his website.

    Swalwell’s entry comes amid an already crowded lineup. Among the 14 publicly declared candidates are Tom Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire and 2020 presidential candidate, Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles, and Betty Yee, the California Democratic Party’s vice chair.

    However, Swalwell believes he is the best fit for the position.

    “No one will keep Californians safer than I will,” Swalwell said. “No one.”

    Scroll to continue reading

    The California gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 3, 2026, and the primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2026, according to the California Secretary of State.

    Cristal Soto

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  • Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell running for California governor

    Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has been a leading critic of the Trump administration, says he is running for governor of California in the 2026 election.

    He made the announcement on his official campaign website, which went live Thursday night ahead of a scheduled appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Swalwell got a standing ovation from the audience when he then announced his run on Kimmel’s show.

    “Our state, this great state, needs a fighter and a protector,” Swalwell told Kimmel.  

    “I’ve been in these fights as a city council member up in Dublin, my hometown, as a prosecutor in Oakland and taking on the most corrupt president ever in the U.S. Congress, but I’m ready to bring this fight home,” Swalwell said.

    He also said he doesn’t trust that the files concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be released in their entirety. 

    President Trump said Wednesday he has signed a bill that requires the Justice Department to release files within 30 days.   

    Swalwell, 45, joins an already crowded field of high-profile candidates. Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run for reelection because he is term-limited by California law.

    The field includes several other Democratic hopefuls, including former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and entrepreneur Tom Steyer, among others. Republican candidates include political pundit Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

    Swalwell represents the state’s 14th Congressional District, which encompasses a large swath of the East Bay. He has held office in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013, and before that, he was a prosecutor for Alameda County.  His political career includes a run for president in the 2020 election, during which he made gun control one of his main focuses and called for a complete ban on assault rifles.

    Last week, the Trump administration referred Swalwell to the Justice Department over alleged tax and mortgage fraud. Swalwell addressed these allegations with Kimmel, calling them “nonsense.”

    In a statement following the referral, Swalwell said, “The only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me.”

    Swalwell and the Trump administration have a history stretching back to Mr. Trump’s first term. Swalwell described himself earlier this month as “the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade.” He also served as one of the impeachment managers during Mr. Trump’s second impeachment trial.

    In addition, there is an ongoing lawsuit filed by Swalwell against Mr. Trump that alleges his actions led to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

    Richard Ramos,

    Joe Walsh and

    Nidia Cavazos

    contributed to this report.

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  • Rep. Eric Swalwell, former impeachment manager against Trump, faces mortgage fraud allegations

    A Trump administration housing official has referred Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California to the Justice Department over allegations involving mortgage fraud, according to sources. Swalwell, who served as an impeachment manager in President Trump’s first term, has denied any wrongdoing.

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  • OMG! An Epstein List Name REVEALED! Plus MAJOR CLUES About Others In Congressional Hearing! – Perez Hilton

    Are these the biggest clues yet about who exactly is in the Epstein files?!? Plus an actual name?! HOW IS THIS NOT THE BIGGEST STORY RIGHT NOW???

    Donald Trump and his loyal DOJ and FBI leaders shocked some of the MAGA faithful with their about-face on Jeffrey Epstein. They went from teasing a big reveal to actually having teams of agents spend hundreds of hours reading the files… and suddenly deciding it all needed to be swept under the rug.

    Well, a small handful of Republicans have stood up to Trump on the Epstein issue, and their leader, Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky, finally got one of those rug-sweepers in the hot seat this week.

    Kash Patel has been testifying to Congress the past couple days, being grilled on numerous scandals and mistakes, by Democrats and Republicans alike. But on Wednesday, Massie got to ask the biggest question we think America has right now: WTF?!?

    Kash In Pocket

    OK, Massie didn’t say that. But he did confront the seemingly confused FBI director about his inane claim to the Senate on Tuesday that Epstein didn’t traffic the girls to anyone. If you missed that claim, Patel maintained to Senator John Kennedy:

    “There is no credible information, none… that he trafficked to other individuals.”

    So Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to NO ONE? Despite the victims saying very clearly they were trafficked to powerful men? Well, Massie made his big play here. When Epstein’s victims got together and said they’d make their own list, Massie said he and Marjorie Taylor Greene might be able to reveal it even if the girls couldn’t themselves. And on Wednesday he gave us the first name! He defied Patel, saying:

    “According to victims who cooperated with the FBI in that investigation, these documents in FBI possession — in your possession — detail at least 20 men, including Mr. Jes Staley, CEO of Barclays Bank, who Jeffrey Epstein trafficked victims to.”

    Whoa, what?!?

    HE ACTUALLY NAMED SOMEONE! HE DROPPED A NAME FROM THE EPSTEIN LIST! HOW IS THIS NOT THE BIGGEST STORY OF THE DAY?!

    The First Name

    Who the heck is James Edward “Jes” Staley? A few months after Epstein’s death, the CEO of Barclays was investigated for mischaracterizing his relationship with him. Ultimately he resigned from his position.

    (c) Bloomberg/YouTube

    He was later named in a lawsuit against JP Morgan. An Epstein victim accused the bank of enabling Epstein financially — and Staley specifically of knowing exactly what he was doing. According to The New York Times, Staley was Epstein’s “chief defender” at JP Morgan, helping him keep his huge accounts despite suspicions he was up to no good. The lawsuit, revealed in January 2023, alleged Staley personally witnessed Epstein’s abuse of an underage girl.

    Related: Staley Was On This List With Trump…

    Why would he look the other way, so to speak? Well, it sounds like Massie says one of the victims told the government she’d been trafficked TO HIM!

    Currently he’s only facing civil and financial consequences.

    Major Effing Clues!

    Massie was far from finished. He may have only given one actual name, but he made very clear there’s a list of men accused of wrongdoing, and it’s in the government’s hands. He spoke about the men who were named by Epstein’s victims — and gave some major clues on who they are! He said:

    “That list also includes at least 19 other individuals: One Hollywood producer worth a few hundred million dollars. One royal prince. One high profile individual in the music industry. One very prominent banker. One high profile government official. One high profile former politician. One owner of a car company in Italy. One rock star. One magician. At least six billionaires, including a billionaire from Canada. We know these people exist in the FBI files, the files you control. I don’t know exactly who they are, but the FBI does. Have you launched investigations into any of these individuals?”

    YOWZA! That is a lot of clues all at once!

    Well, look, the Royal prince one is easy. Prince Andrew is one of the only men who have been accused publicly. Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed she was trafficked to him by Epstein multiple times, including when she was just 17 years old. Here they are together in a photo with Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

    Prince Andrew Virginia Roberts scandal
    (c) BBC/WENN

    As for the “high profile government official” and “high profile former politician”? Pretty horrific to know our taxes have supported people like this, isn’t it?

    And then there’s “magician” — what a wild profession to throw out, right? But probably the most intriguing to us? A rich Hollywood producer?? A “rock star”? A “high profile individual in the music industry”?? Our minds are racing with ideas, though we’ve never, to our recollection, heard of any connection between Epstein and any specific people who fit these bills. Do YOU know who he’s talking about??

    Anyway, let’s check back in on what Patel has to say for himself…

    Kash Tries To Pass The Buck

    When Patel tried to reiterate that he hadn’t seen credible evidence yet, Massie pressed, remind him VICTIM TESTIMONY is evidence! He straight up asked the FBI head:

    “Is it your assertion that these victims aren’t credible? That the 302s maybe didn’t produce credible statements that rise to probable cause?”

    Patel said it was the decision of US attorneys, noting some were in past administrations. Totally passing the buck. Massie didn’t let him get away with it. He

    “Have you viewed the 302 documents where they victims name the people who victimized them?”

    Patel admitted he has not “personally” viewed the documents in question. So Massie hit him with:

    “So how can you sit here, and in front of the Senate, and say there are no names? I named one today.”

    He sure as hell did.

    Patel squirmed again, saying the FBI won’t release “victim names” or “in-credible evidence.” So let’s see if we’ve got this right… Despite the fact he was such a vocal crusader for the Epstein list before this job, Patel hasn’t made it a priority to personally look at any of this evidence, any of the victim testimony, in the nearly SEVEN MONTHS he’s been on the job. Instead, he’s totally satisfied being told there’s nothing to see, and he’s accepted that without looking for himself??

    Yeah, it didn’t sound like Massie bought any of that. You can see his full interrogation (below):

    Out Of The Frying Pan…

    Look, so far we’ve only been speaking about Kash Patel getting grilled by Republicans. But when it came to Dems, it was pretty bad, too. Though it did lean a little worse for Trump, as you might imagine…

    Eric Swalwell asked Patel did he ever “tell Donald Trump his name is in the files?” The FBI director said he’d never spoken to Trump about Epstein files. (Wow, but OK.) So Swalwell asked next:  

    “Did you ever tell the the Attorney General that Trump’s name is in the Epstein files?”

    This should have been a simple NO, right? Instead Patel gave a non-answer, saying:

    “The attorney general and I have had numerous discussions about the entirety of the Epstein files and the reviews conducted by our team.”

    Yeah, definitely didn’t answer that one. So Swalwell pressed him on it, asking again if he’d ever told the AG that Trump’s name was in the Epstein files. Patel again tried to skate around the answer, saying:

    “During many conversations that the Attorney General and I have had on the matter of Epstein, we have reviewed…”

    Swalwell wasn’t having it. He said, “The question is simple,” asking again sarcastically slowly. Patel refused to answer and started attacking Swalwell and his home state of California instead. Eventually the Congressman had to give up and said simply:

    “We’ll take your evasiveness as consciousness of guilt.”

    It went on like that with some others. At no time, speaking to either side of the aisle, did Patel look like he had any interest in getting to the truth about Epstein and his co-conspirators. Shame.

    Do you want Congress to demand release of the full Epstein files? Learn how to peacefully contact your reps to demand action at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.

    [Image via DOJ/MEGA/WENN/CBS News/Bloomberg/YouTube.]

    Perez Hilton

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  • Roger Stone Caught Plotting The Assassination Of Reps. Eric Swalwell And Jerry Nadler

    Roger Stone Caught Plotting The Assassination Of Reps. Eric Swalwell And Jerry Nadler






    Audio has surfaced of Roger Stone talking to a New York City police officer about assassinating Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY).

    Mediaite got the audio and reported:

    “It’s time to do it,” Stone told Greco. “Let’s go find Swalwell. It’s time to do it. Then we’ll see how brave the rest of them are. It’s time to do it. It’s either Nadler or Swalwell has to die before the election. They need to get the message. Let’s go find Swalwell and get this over with. I’m just not putting up with this shit anymore.”

    A source familiar with the discussion told Mediate they believed Stone’s remarks were serious. “It was definitely concerning that he was constantly planning violence with an NYPD officer and other militia groups,” the source said.

    Roger Stone is a Trump confidante who is also viewed as the former president’s connection to the right-wing militia movement. Stone was at the Capitol for the 1/6 attack with the Proud Boys and used Proud Boys as his security team. 

    The recorded conversation took place weeks before the 2020 election when both Swalwell and Nadler served on the House Judiciary Committee and were investigating Trump’s pardon of Stone. There is nothing like plotting the assassination of the people who are conducting the investigation to lend credibility to the idea that a pardon might not have been on the up and up.

    Trump and his gang make Richard Nixon look like a church picnic.

    Donald Trump and those in his orbit are not politics as usual, and it is a grave mistake ever to treat them that way.

    A Special Message From PoliticusUSA

    If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. 

    We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.








    Jason Easley

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  • 7/30: The Takeout: Eric Swalwell

    7/30: The Takeout: Eric Swalwell

    7/30: The Takeout: Eric Swalwell – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    California Congressman Eric Swalwell joins Major Garrett for this week’s episode of “The Takeout” to discuss his work on the House Oversight Committee, his rocky relationship with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and how he and his family have been affected after receiving “multiple” daily death threats.

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  • House Democrats targeted by McCarthy defend their committee assignments | CNN Politics

    House Democrats targeted by McCarthy defend their committee assignments | CNN Politics


    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    The trio of Democrats whom House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has targeted for removal from committee assignments offered a unified rebuke in a joint interview on CNN that aired Sunday.

    Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, who were stripped of their positions on the House Intelligence Committee, and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, whom McCarthy is seeking to oust from the House Foreign Affairs panel, told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that the California Republican’s actions were nakedly partisan.

    “This is some Bakersfield BS,” Swalwell said in the interview, referring to the speaker’s hometown. “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.”

    Schiff similarly cast their ouster as “all pretextual” and a result of McCarthy “catering to the most extreme members of their conference.”

    “And 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,” Schiff said.

    McCarthy has cited a “new standard” from Democrats for why he was stripping Schiff and Swalwell, both fellow Californians, of their Intelligence Committee assignments.

    The speaker said in a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that it was his “assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congresses severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions – ultimately leaving our nation less safe.” He said he wants the panel to be one of “genuine honesty and credibility that regains the trust of the American people.”

    McCarthy specifically targeted Schiff over his handling of the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump. Among other things, McCarthy said: “Adam Schiff openly lied to the American public. He told you he had proof. He told you he didn’t know the whistleblower.”

    Yet there is no evidence for McCarthy’s insinuation that Schiff lied when he said he didn’t know the anonymous whistleblower who came forward in 2019 with allegations – which were subsequently corroborated – about how Trump had attempted to use the power of his office to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, then a looming rival in the 2020 election.

    “Apparently he believes I was very effective in exposing his misconduct, Donald Trump’s misconduct. And that’s what they’re trying to stop,” Schiff told Bash. “So, I think that he benefits from having these smears repeated. And that’s part of what he gains from it. But this is a pretext, and nothing more.”

    Swalwell, meanwhile, rebuffed GOP claims that he shared sensitive information with a suspected Chinese spy – a charge McCarthy has repeatedly put forward.

    “There’s nothing there,” the California Democrat said, noting that the FBI has relayed that “all I did was help them, and, also, I was never under any suspicion of wrongdoing.”

    McCarthy was able to use his authority as speaker to unilaterally keep Schiff and Swalwell off the Intelligence panel because it is a select committee. Ousting Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee would require a vote of the full House. If all Democrats vote to oppose the move, it would only take a handful of GOP critics to block McCarthy from moving forward, given House Republicans’ razor-thin majority.

    Asked Sunday about her past comments, which were condemned by both sides of the aisle as antisemitic, Omar noted that she had apologized and said she’s hopeful that any vote against her as a result of those comments will fall short.

    “I might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in antisemitism. When that was brought to my attention, I apologized, I owned up to it. That’s the kind of person that I am,” the Minnesota Democrat said.

    “What I do know is that the two Republicans that have been public and some that have privately said that they are not going to vote to remove me are doing so because they don’t want to be seen as hypocrites,” she added.

    Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana said last week that she opposed the push to strip the three Democrats of their committee assignments, stressing the importance of ethics probes before taking disciplinary action against any elected member of Congress. South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace has said she has concerns about the resolution to oust Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. A third Republican, Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, has told NBC News he was “opposed to … the removal of Congresswoman Omar from committees.”

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  • McCarthy officially denies Schiff and Swalwell seats on House Intelligence Committee | CNN Politics

    McCarthy officially denies Schiff and Swalwell seats on House Intelligence Committee | CNN Politics



    CNN
     — 

    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday officially denied seats on the House Intelligence Committee to Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, the former chairman of the panel.

    The decision reflects the increasingly politicized nature of one of Congress’ most important national security committees and was swiftly met with outrage by the two California Democrats, both of whom played key roles in the impeachments of former President Donald Trump.

    “I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership on this essential committee. Integrity matters more,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that he posted on Twitter Tuesday night.

    McCarthy has cited a “new standard” from Democrats for why he would strip Schiff and Swalwell, both of California, of their committee assignments. The Democrat-led House in 2021 removed GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committees for inflammatory rhetoric, including support for violence against Democratic members of Congress.

    In the letter, McCarthy added that “it is my assessment that the misuse of this panel during the 116th and 117th Congresses severely undermined its primary national security and oversight missions – ultimately leaving our nation less safe,” and that he wants the panel to be one of “genuine honesty and credibility that regains the trust of the American people.”

    “It’s political vengeance,” Swalwell said following the decision on Tuesday. “It’s too bad because that committee has always been a bipartisan committee, and he’s taking one of the most precious pieces of glassware in the congressional cabinet and smashing it, and the damage is going to be irreparable.”

    He added that “if a Democrat advocated for violence against another member of Congress, I would support getting rid of them.”

    Schiff told reporters that “if McCarthy thinks this is going to stop me from vigorously pushing back against his efforts to tear down these institutions, he’s going to find out just how wrong he is.”

    “I think this is a terrible move on his part and once again, showing McCarthy just catering to the most extreme elements of this conference,” he added.

    Schiff will sit on the Judiciary Committee, according to a Democratic aide, while Swalwell told CNN he will sit on the Judiciary and Homeland Security panels.

    Some House Republicans have criticized McCarthy’s move ejecting Democrats from the intelligence panel. GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana said in a statement that she opposes the push to remove the Democrats.

    “I appreciate these Republican members speaking out against what McCarthy is doing,” Schiff later told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on “AC360.”

    “I think it does show that there are Republicans who understand this is very ill considered. It’s just going to damage the institution, it’s not justified,” he added. “These efforts are not at all bipartisan. Indeed, the opposition to it is bipartisan.”

    The three Democrats whom McCarthy ousted or plan to oust stood in unity at a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday.

    “The three of us have chosen to stick together because this isn’t about any individual committee assignments, and this is about an institution where the speaker of the House is using his power to go after his political opponents, and to pick them off the field,” Swalwell said.

    They all seemed in agreement that the “destructive move” was especially hypocritical, given embattled Rep. George Santos has been seated on committees. Democrats and Republicans have called on Santos, a freshman Republican from New York, to resign following a series of false statements he has made including misrepresenting parts of his identity and his resume.

    “This is a Republican speaker who is seating a human fraud, George Santos, on committees, a serial fabricator about every part of his existence. He’s perfectly comfortable with it,” Schiff said.

    McCarthy on Tuesday also announced the list of GOP members he is appointing to serve on the select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, with Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan to serve as its chair.

    GOP Reps. Dan Bishop of North Carolina and Chip Roy of Texas, who were part of the initial holdouts against McCarthy in the speakership race, also gained spots on the panel. Democrats will have the opportunity to appoint members as well.

    The speaker also announced appointments to the select subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic, with Greene among the members chosen.

    McCarthy expanded both of the select committees, naming more people to the rosters than initially expected due to “overwhelming interest” from members, according to a GOP source familiar. House Republicans will have to put forward a floor resolution to formally amend the ratios, the source added, but doesn’t anticipate it will be an issue.

    This story has been updated with additional developments.

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  • Kevin McCarthy Denies Committee Seats To Eric Swalwell And Adam Schiff

    Kevin McCarthy Denies Committee Seats To Eric Swalwell And Adam Schiff

    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has avenged Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) by blocking two Democrats from serving on a House committee.

    McCarthy announced Tuesday he would refuse to seat Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff of California on the House Intelligence Committee — pure political payback for Democrats removing Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from committees in 2021.

    In a public letter to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had named the pair to the intelligence committee, McCarthy said that “in order to maintain a standard worthy of this committee’s responsibilities,” he would reject the appointment of the two Democrats.

    Greene has emerged as McCarthy’s top ally on the far-right flank of the Republican Party. Democrats booted her from committees in 2021 when it came out that she had trafficked online in conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric toward political opponents, especially Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), before coming to Congress. McCarthy won Greene’s support for his speakership partly by promising to put her back on committees if Republicans controlled the House — a promise he has kept.

    McCarthy did not explain in his letter why Swalwell and Schiff shouldn’t serve on the committee, but he has repeatedly claimed Swalwell would be unable to get a security clearance due to a past affiliation with a Chinese spy and that Schiff had lied to the American people. Both allegations are specious.

    “This is not anything political,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol earlier on Tuesday. “This is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the intel committee is different.”

    Drew Angerer via Getty Images

    Blocking the committee appointments is an obvious act of political retribution. McCarthy first suggested Republicans would do so in November 2021 when the House voted to boot Gosar from committees after he posted a weird cartoon video depicting himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

    McCarthy can unilaterally deny seats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence because the speaker has more control over select committees than standing committees. He has also threatened to block Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from committees, but doing so would likely require a House vote.

    In a Sunday letter to McCarthy, Jeffries said removing Republicans from committees for their threatening behavior toward colleagues shouldn’t be used as a precedent for removing Swalwell and Schiff. He described the appointment of “serial fraudster” George Santos (R-N.Y.) to two committees as a double standard.

    McCarthy insisted Tuesday that a secret briefing he’d received from the FBI warranted Swalwell’s removal from the intel committee.

    “The FBI was concerned about putting a member of Congress on the intel committee — that have the rights to see things that others don’t — because of his knowledge and relationship with a Chinese spy,” McCarthy said.

    What’s publicly known about the allegation stems from a 2020 Axios story that said a Chinese spy ingratiated herself with elected Democrats from 2011 through 2015, including by raising money for Swalwell’s reelection, and that Swalwell immediately ceased all contact with the person after the FBI briefed him. The story didn’t lay out any wrongdoing by Swalwell.

    McCarthy offered a list of grievances against Schiff, the former chair of the intelligence committee, including a dubious claim that he personally knew the whistleblower who sparked the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump.

    In a joint statement, Swalwell, Schiff and Omar said McCarthy had “capitulated to the right wing” of the Republican Party and struck a corrupt bargain “that required political vengeance against the three of us.”

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  • McCarthy says he’ll block Schiff, Swalwell from Intelligence panel

    McCarthy says he’ll block Schiff, Swalwell from Intelligence panel

    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated Tuesday that he will block Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because “integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.”

    In the previous Congress, Democrats booted Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committee assignments for incendiary commentary that they said incited potential violence against colleagues.

    Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked that Schiff and Swalwell be reappointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a prestigious panel with access to sensitive, classified information. There is no “precedent or justification” for rejecting them, Jeffries said.

    Unlike most committees, appointments to the Intelligence panel are the prerogative of the speaker, with input from the minority leader.

    McCarthy said he would be submitting his reply later Tuesday, but “let me be very clear, this is not similar to what the Democrats did. Those members will have other committees, but the Intel Committee is different. The Intel committee’s responsibility is the national security to America.”

    “Hakeem Jeffries has 200 other people who can serve on that committee,” he added.

    McCarthy was critical of Schiff’s actions as chairman of the panel during the first impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, asserting he used his position to “lie to the American public again and again.” He also asserted Swalwell couldn’t get a security clearance in the private sector, so “we’re not going to provide him with the secrets to America.”

    McCarthy tried to have Swalwell removed from the Intelligence panel in March 2021 based on his contact with a suspected Chinese spy. His resolution against Swalwell, which was voted down in the Democratic-led House, cited information that the suspected spy, Christine Fang, came into contact with Swalwell’s campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012 and participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign.

    Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her.

    Schiff told colleagues in 2021 that Republican leaders in 2015, including then-House Speaker John Boehner and the then-chairman of the intelligence panel, Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, were briefed on the situation with Swalwell and “expressed no opposition to his continued service” on the Intelligence committee.

    McCarthy insisted he was putting national security over partisan politics.

    “We’re going to make the Intel Committee back to what it was supposed to be. No longer will we miss what happened in Afghanistan. No longer will we miss what’s happening in China, Russia, Iran and others. That’s what this country believes should happen,” McCarthy said.

    McCarthy has also vowed to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the Foreign Affairs Committee. In a joint statement the three Democrats being targeted for removal from committees said “it’s disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process.”

    They called their removal part of a bargain McCarthy made with GOP hardliners to become speaker “that required political vengeance against the three of us.”

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  • GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz opposes McCarthy’s push to oust Democrats from committees | CNN Politics

    GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz opposes McCarthy’s push to oust Democrats from committees | CNN Politics



    CNN
     — 

    Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana announced on Tuesday that she opposes House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s push to remove three Democrats – Reps. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell and Ilhan Omar – from committees.

    The new House GOP majority is gearing up for a showdown with Democrats over the issue, but pushback from within the House GOP has the potential to complicate an effort to oust Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, in particular. Spartz is the second Republican to suggest she’d vote against such a move. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina signaled to CNN earlier this month she’d be unlikely to back a measure to oust Omar if it came to the floor.

    McCarthy has cited a “new standard” from Democrats for why he would strip them of their committee assignments after the Democrat-led House in 2021 removed GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona from their committees for inflammatory rhetoric and posts.

    In her statement, Spartz referenced the previous move by House Democrats, saying that “two wrongs do not make a right.”

    “Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions last Congress to remove Reps. Greene and Gosar from their committees without proper due process. Speaker McCarthy is taking unprecedented actions this Congress to deny some committee assignments to the Minority without proper due process again,” Spartz continued.

    “As I spoke against it on the House floor two years ago, I will not support this charade again,” the congresswoman said.

    Democratic leaders have officially renominated Schiff and Swalwell to the House Intelligence Committee. And Omar has officially requested to have a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

    McCarthy has the power to unilaterally block Schiff and Swalwell from serving on the House Intelligence Committee because it is a select committee. In a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Tuesday night, McCarthy officially denied the California Democrats seats on the panel.

    Ousting Omar, however, from the House Foreign Affairs Committee would require a vote of the full House of Representatives. Democrats would oppose and it would only take a handful of GOP members to block McCarthy from moving forward given that Republicans control only a razor-thin majority in the House.

    Omar told reporters that Pelosi had been “very clear” on why Greene and Gosar had been removed.

    “It was because they threatened the lives of their colleagues,” she told reporters. “They posed danger to folks that they would serve on committees with, to the actual institution they were sworn to protect. Unless McCarthy can say how myself, Adam Schiff, and Eric Swalwell are a danger to the institution and our colleagues, then he’s not following the example that was set by Speaker Pelosi.”

    Spartz voted “present” during several rounds of votes as McCarthy was trying to lock up the support to win the speakership at the start of the new Congress. Ultimately, however, the congresswoman voted for McCarthy in the final round in which he secured the gavel.

    This story has been updated with additional details.

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  • ‘Holy Sh*t’: Trevor Noah Stunned Into Silence By ‘Intense’ New Campaign Ad

    ‘Holy Sh*t’: Trevor Noah Stunned Into Silence By ‘Intense’ New Campaign Ad

    “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah took a look at some of the latest political campaign ads, including one that left him speechless.

    It was a new spot from Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) that features the cops coming for a woman who once had an abortion. Noah described it as “one of the most hardcore campaign ads you’ve ever seen.”

    Noah was silent for about 6 seconds after the spot ended before finally letting loose with a “holy shit.” And that wasn’t the only ad that surprised him.

    Check out his look at the latest political ads in his Tuesday night monologue:

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