As speaker, McCarthy has the authority to intervene on select panels' membership, but under modern congressional norms, Democratic leaders are responsible for choosing Democratic members, just as GOP leaders are responsible for choosing Republican members. In theory, Democratic leaders could see where this was headed, take the new speaker’s threats at face value, and reassign Swalwell and Schiff to other committees. In practice, however, Democrats will force McCarthy to do his own dirty work. The move means that the relationship between Jeffries, a New Yorker who is the new minority leader, and McCarthy of California, the new GOP speaker, is getting off to a rocky start. He’ll add that Schiff and Swalwell engaged in wrongdoing that necessitates such a move.

Source: Washington Post January 25, 2023 01:22 UTC