McCarthy sees GOP defections ahead of expected effort to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar off House panel - CBS News

McCarthy says he'll artifact Dems from cardinal sheet

Kevin McCarthy says he'll artifact Democrats Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell from quality panel 04:26

Washington — As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy looks to travel done connected his pledge to support Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from serving connected the House Foreign Affairs Committee, it's unclear whether helium volition beryllium palmy fixed absorption from immoderate of his chap GOP members.

McCarthy has agelong threatened to clasp a ballot to contradict Omar a spot connected the sheet if the GOP won the House bulk due to the fact that of past comments she has made astir Israel, which rankled Republicans and Democrats alike. But GOP leaders besides spot the determination arsenic retaliation against Democrats who voted to portion two Republicans of their committee assignments implicit incendiary societal media posts erstwhile they controlled the House.

Republicans present bask a constrictive majority, and McCarthy tin lone spend 4 GOP defections successful bid to successfully garner the votes needed to support Omar from holding committee seats.

But already, 2 Republican lawmakers, Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, person indicated they volition reason McCarthy's effort against Omar.

"Two wrongs don't marque a right," Spartz said successful a statement. "Speaker Pelosi took unprecedented actions past Congress to region Reps. [Marjorie Taylor] Greene and [Paul] Gosar from their committees without due owed process. Speaker McCarthy is taking unprecedented actions this Congress to contradict immoderate committee assignments to the number without due owed process again." 

Spratz referenced votes successful the Democratic-controlled House, which earned enactment from immoderate Republicans, to portion Greene and Gosar of their committee assignments. The 2 lawmakers person each received spots connected 2 House panels successful the caller Congress.

Referencing the earlier votes targeting Greene and Gosar, Spartz said she volition reason the "charade" and pushed McCarthy to "stop 'bread and circuses' successful Congress and commencement governing for a change."

A 3rd Republican, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, told the Washington Post past week that committee assignments should beryllium addressed "within the confines of each party" and said the votes against Greene and Gosar "creates this retaliatory contented for our conference."

Further complicating McCarthy's way guardant is the lack of GOP Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who said helium volition beryllium home successful Sarasota for "several weeks" recovering from a 25-foot fall from a ladder. 

While proxy voting allowed absent House members to enlist different lawmaker to formed votes for them successful the past Congress, McCarthy did distant with voting-by-proxy erstwhile helium gained the gavel.

It's unclear erstwhile House Republican leaders mightiness determination to ballot connected removing Omar from committees. McCarthy told reporters Tuesday that helium is "not astatine all" acrophobic astir securing the indispensable votes, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Wednesday that Republicans person "no intention" of having Omar service connected the Foreign Affairs Committee, and California Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell beryllium connected the Intelligence Committee.

"If radical person shown a propensity to either espouse anti-American, antisemitic views, bash things that person enactment themselves successful a compromised presumption including lying astir classified information, it raises superior questions," Scalise said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tapped Schiff and Swalwell for the Intelligence Committee, but the Republican person plans to block their appointments, which helium tin bash unilaterally since it's a prime committee.

Omar told reporters connected Tuesday that she has "good standing" connected the Foreign Affairs panel. In summation to Republicans who person publically expressed absorption to her removal from the committee, galore others person spoken with her privately and said they judge the determination is "unjust," she said.

"They are trying to bash immoderate it is that they tin wrong their league to marque definite determination is nary ballot to region maine from the Foreign Affairs Committee," Omar said.

Omar drew distinctions betwixt erstwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's determination to clasp the ballot to footwear Greene and Gosar disconnected of their committees successful the past Congress and what McCarthy is seeking to bash now.

"They threatened the lives of their colleagues. They posed information to folks that they could service connected committees with, to the existent instauration they were sworn to protect," she said. "Unless McCarthy tin accidental however myself, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell are a information to the institution, our colleagues, past he's not pursuing the illustration that was acceptable by Speaker Pelosi."

Ellis Kim and Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report