Eric Swalwell Says McCarthy’s ‘Intent’ is to Provoke Death Threats Against Democrats Kicked from Committees

Rep. Eric Swalwell said Wednesday that he and the two other Democrats removed from House committees believe Speaker Kevin McCarthy is not just trying to punish them politically, but accused the Republican of deliberately putting their lives at risk with the move.

Swalwell and Rep. Adam Schiff were removed from the House intel committee, and Rep. Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, a decision that McCarthy has spent a lot of time defending to reporters.

The three Democrats held a presser on Wednesday, during which Swalwell said his removal was all about vengeance and not any real concerns over the fact that his ties to a Chinese spy would, as the Speaker has repeatedly pointed out, prevent him obtaining a top security clearance in the private sector. Swalwell said McCarthy talking about that issue is a deliberate invitation to death threats.

“This is purely about political vengeance,” said Swalwell. And he added that the “cost” isn’t just the loss of their valuable participation but, “the death threats that Ms. Omar, myself, and Mr. Schiff keep getting because Mr. McCarthy continues to aim and project these smears against us.”

“Even though we have said publicly these smears are bringing death threats, he continues to do it,” Swalwell said. “Which makes us believe that there’s an intent behind it.”

Rep. Swalwell also recently said that removing metal detectors from the doors to the House chamber puts him and other Democrats at risk of being shot to death by their Republican colleagues.

Watch the clip above, via C-SPAN.