House Foreign Affairs big agrees US likely headed for war with China

The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday reluctantly agreed with an Air Force general’s prediction that the United States would go to war with China in 2025 over Taiwan.

House Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” weighed in on four-star Gen. Mike Minihan’s grim warning after NBC News reported Minihan wrote in a Friday memo to officers that while he hopes he’s wrong, “My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.”

“I hope he’s wrong as well,” McCaul said. “I think he’s right, though, unfortunately.”

The Republican added that war is likelier if President Biden is in office and “projecting weakness.”

McCall explained that China is eyeing “reunification” with nearby Taiwan and could achieve that goal by influencing Taiwanese elections in 2024.

If that fails, fighting could break out, he said.


House Rep. Michael McCaul appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where he discussed possible war with China.
FOX NEWS

“They are going to look at a military invasion, in my judgment,” McCaul told Fox of China. “We have to be prepared for this.

“I think as long as Biden is in office projecting weakness as he did with Afghanistan that led to Putin invading Ukraine, that the odds are very high that we could see a conflict with China and Taiwan and the Indo Pacific,” McCaul said.

The Department of Defense has downplayed Minihan’s memo, with a rep noting, “These comments are not representative of the department’s view on China.”

A Democrat who is a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee disagreed with Minihan’s and McCaul’s prediction of fighting.  


Air Force General Michael Minihan
Air Force General Michael Minihan sent the chilling memo to officers, according to a report.
US Air Force

“Anything is possible, I’m really worried, though, when anyone starts talking about war with China being inevitable,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said on the Fox program. “And I want to be completely clear it’s not only not inevitable, it’s highly unlikely.”

Smith said generals should be cautious in their comments about China.

“I don’t think we should be out there telling the world that we’re going to war with China most importantly because we’re not,” Smith said.

“We have interests, we have to be in a position to deter China. War is not inevitable. It’s a very dangerous situation that we need to be prepared for, but I’m fully confident that we can avoid that conflict if we take the right approach.”

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Canada’s National Arts Centre sparks outrage with black-only events

A taxpayer-funded Canadian theater organization has sparked outrage after announcing an event that will only allow “Black-identifying audiences” to attend.

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa is putting on a “Black Out” night at its Babs Asper Theatre on Feb. 17 — the middle of Black History Month — for the performance of “Is God Is,” a play written by and starring Black women.

“A Black Out is an open invitation to Black-identifying audiences to come and experience performances with their community,” the theater announced earlier this month.

“The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience.”

The event promptly sparked backlash on social media, with critics accusing

“Cultural Apartheid. The identitarian left proudly appropriates an oldie but goody. Canada is starting to make the USA seem like Hungary,” one person fumed on Twitter.

“Racism is alive and well in Canada. I hope this event is boycotted,” another added.

“So given that the National Arts Centre now does single-race-only shows, are they planning on doing a whites only show?” a third questioned.

But the “Is God Is” performance will not be the only black-invitation-only event sponsored by the National Arts Center.


Helen Belay in “Heaven”- 2021. “Heaven” is the second “Black-out” event scheduled this year.
Janice Saxon: National Arts Centre

A second “Black Out” show is scheduled for the May 5 performance of “Heaven” at the Azrieli Studio.

The NAC — a federal cultural organization — said it was inspired to host two “Black Out” shows after Broadway held a similar event in 2019 for Jeremy O’Harris’ “Slave Play.”

“Honored that ⁦@CanadasNAC⁩ is standing by their commitment to a BLACK OUT performance of one of my favorite plays, ‘IS GOD IS,’” O’Harris tweeted.


The two events are scheduled for Feb. 17 and May 5 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada.
National Arts Centre: Facebook

However, in spite of its own announcement, a spokesperson for the NAC told Quillette podcaster Jonathan Kay that ushers will not be race-checking attendees at the door.

“No one will be turned away at the door,” the spokesperson assured Kay.

Meanwhile, Toronto theater companies the Canadian Stage and Theatre Pass have also taken part in their own versions of “Black Out.”

“If someone self-identifies as a non-Black person and demands to enter the room, a member of our staff will be present to chat with this person,” the Theatre Pass says on its website.

“We try our best to have this labour land on a non-Black staff member and we will have non-Black front-of-house, leadership, or technical and production team members present in the lobby to help de-escalate such situations.”



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Six dead after tour bus crashed head-on with freight truck in upstate New York

Six people were killed in upstate New York Saturday after a freight truck and a tour bus collided in what officials called a “gruesome” tragedy.

As many as 15 people were on the bus when it collided head-on with the truck around 6:00 a.m. on State Highway 37 in Louisville, a small town on the US-Canada border, State Police said.

The driver of the box truck was the only one in the vehicle.

Three other people were wounded and rushed to the hospital, including one in critical condition.


Police said as many as 15 people were on the bus.
WWNYTV

Police did not say which vehicle smashed into the other and did not release the identities of the victims.

Officials described the crash site as “gruesome,” TV station WWNY reported.

The highway was shut down to traffic for 12 hours Saturday.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, though photos of the scene showed banks of foot-high snow on the side of the highway.

WWNY said there might have been reduced visibility at the time of the accident.

The collision occurred on State Highway 37 in Louisville, NY around 6 am on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

The collision occurred on State Highway 37 in Louisville, NY around 6 am on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.


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The collision occurred on State Highway 37 in Louisville, NY around 6 am on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

The collision occurred on State Highway 37 in Louisville, NY around 6 am on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.


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The bus appears to be affiliated with the solar energy company LBFNY, based in central New York.

The box truck, a Penske rental, had fully loaded cargo, officials said.

With Post wires

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Wisconsin pileup caused by snow leads to dozens injured

Dozens of people were injured in a massive traffic pileup amid snowy conditions in southern Wisconsin on Friday, which blocked Interstate 39/90 for hours, authorities said.

Beloit Memorial Hospital said at least 27 people were treated for injuries sustained in the crash, WIFR-TV reported. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear, the station said.

State Patrol officials said snow, ice and whiteout conditions were factors in the crash.

Most of southern Wisconsin remained under a winter weather advisory Friday afternoon with more snow expected Saturday.

The crash occurred at around 12:30 p.m. in Rock County between Janesville and Beloit, the State Patrol said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. Troopers arrived to find the interstate blocked in both directions.


Individuals carry their belongings as they walk away from the massive pileup on Jan. 27, 2023.
AP

Troopers diverted traffic onto side roads. The southbound lanes reopened just after 8 p.m., the State Patrol said on Twitter late Friday.

WIFR-TV posted live video of the scene just before 4 p.m. showing semitrailers backed up as emergency workers assisted motorists.

As of 6 a.m. Friday, the Beloit area had seen 2.2 inches of snow over the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.

 Authorities say snowy conditions led to a massive traffic pile-up in southern Wisconsin on Jan. 27, 2023.

Emergency workers on the scene of a massive pileup in both the north and south lanes of Interstate 39/90.


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Emergency crews respond to a multi-vehicle accident in both the north and south lanes of Interstate 39/90 on Jan. 27, 2023.


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The State Patrol said in a separate statement that another multi-vehicle crash around 1:30 p.m. Friday blocked northbound Interstate 41 in Kenosha County near the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

Those lanes reopened by 7:35 p.m. Snow, ice and whiteout conditions factored into that crash as well, according to the State Patrol.

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Over an hour of footage reveals horror of fatal Tyre Nichols police beating

Four videos totaling about 66 minutes show the blow-by-blow of the Jan. 7 police beating that ended with Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis.

The first video, taken from a police body camera, shows cops with guns drawn swarming Nichols’ car, which was stopped at a red light.

One officer yanks open the door and yells at him to “Get the f–k out the f–king car!”

“Damn, I didn’t do anything!” the 29-year-old FedEx worker is heard responding, as the cops wrestle him down, screaming, “Get on the f–king ground!”

The footage shows an uncuffed Nichols sitting on the ground telling the officers, “Stop!” before he lays down on his side and one cop yells, “Put your hands behind your back before I break them!”

One of the officers has a Taser pressed into Nichols’ leg.


Four videos totaling about 66 minutes show the blow-by-blow of the Jan. 7 police beating.
Memphis Police Department/AFP vi

“OK, stop … You guys are really doing a lot right now. Stop!” Nichols says. “I’m just trying to go home!”

As one cop tells him, “Man, if you don’t lay down —” Nichols yells back, “I am on the ground!”

A scuffle then ensues, part of which is obscured on the body cam, but the video picks back up with the officer Tasing an uncuffed Nichols as he runs away while taking off his shirt.

Two other videos, both from police body cams, pick up as cops chase down Nichols in a residential area.

One video shows a cop shooting pepper spray at Nichols’ face while he’s on the ground screaming, “Mom!” several times.


Read more of the Post’s coverage of Tyre Nichols’ beating death


“Gimme your hands!” a cop tells him again, as Nichols appears to try to get up while rolling on the ground.

“Alright, alright,” he mumbles to the officers, and then one pepper sprays him again — appearing to also pepper spray himself.


Two other videos, both from police body cams, pick up as cops chase down Nichols in a residential area.
City of Memphis

That cop takes a minute or so to regain his composure, then rejoins the other officers who are still struggling with Nichols.

“Watch out, I’m gonna baton the f—k outta ya! Gimme you’re f—king hands!” one of the cops yells, with the video showing one of Nichols’ wrists handcuffed and held by a different officer.

The same video eventually shows one of the cops repeatedly punching Nichols in the face as another holds him up.


Nichols died at the hospital three days after the beating. 
City of Memphis

Nichols is also kicked several times in the head while restrained on the ground and beaten with a police baton.

He can be heard moaning incomprehensibly.

More cops eventually arrive at the scene, and Nichols is seen on the ground in a prone position and then propped up against a cop car.

At one point in the video, the cops complain about accidentally pepper spraying themselves.

“I sprayed myself,” one cop says.

“Man, me, too!” the other replies.

A fourth video, which has no audio, was shot from a pole, showing a far away angle of the alleged beatdown.

Nichols died at the hospital three days later. 

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Florida criminals Arkimase Divinard and Joel Aime arrested after Amazon driver robbery

Two career criminals are back behind bars after robbing a delivery driver at gunpoint earlier this month.

On Wednesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released terrifying dashcam video of two men robbing an Amazon driver at gunpoint in broad daylight on Jan. 13. 

In the video, one man is seen holding a gun to the worker’s neck before going into the back of the truck to steal packages. The other man is outside the truck for most of the video, but he pops inside the driver’s side door when his partner goes into the back to take the packages.

The men were later identified as Arkimase Divinard, 22, and Joel Junior Aime, 23.

The sheriff’s office said the Amazon driver was not hurt during the crime.

Divinard and Aime, who both have long criminal histories, share 85 felony charges and 11 felony convictions between the two of them. 


The Amazon driver was not injured during the robbery.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office

According to Florida jail records, Divinard was most recently sentenced to three years in prison for carjacking without a firearm/deadly weapon. He was released in November 2022. His prior convictions include battery on a person above the age of 65 and robbery without a deadly weapon.

There were no records available in the Florida Department of Corrections database under the name Joel Junior Aime.

“We hope they will stay locked up for a long, long time,” OCSO wrote on social media.

According to Fox 35 Orlando, a witness flagged down deputies after watching the robbery near the Caden Apartments at 1953 Americana Blvd.

The outlet reported that the Amazon driver told deputies he noticed a Black male standing near the driver’s side of the truck after completing a delivery. When the driver got inside the truck, a second Black male entered the van’s cargo area and demanded the driver give up his belongings while pointing a gun at him.

The second man, who is seen mostly in the video, took the driver’s cell phone and debit cards, and he searched the driver’s pockets for more items. Ten packages were also stolen from the truck.

Both men fled the scene in a white van. After he was identified in the dashcam footage, Aime was later seen in a white Honda van and was arrested.

Arkimase Divinard.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Joel Aime.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Divinard was identified by his tattoos. The delivery driver also provided deputies with a screenshot of the Find My iPhone app, which revealed the location of his stolen phone as Divinard’s home address.

Both men have been arrested and are charged with robbery with a firearm, according to the sheriff’s office. 



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Reps. Tenney, Stefanik demand Biden answer for NY migrant surge

Two top Republican congresswomen from New York are demanding that the Biden administration answer questions about secretly transporting migrants across the US — after dozens of Colombian immigrants recently arrived in the small upstate community of Watertown.

“We write following reports that your administration is actively settling migrants in Upstate New York communities,” upstate Reps. Claudia Tenney and Elise Stefanik — the number three Republican in the US House of Representatives — wrote in a Wednesday letter obtained by The Post.

GOP Congressmen Nick Langworthy, Michael Lawler and Marc Molinaro also signed the message.

The lawmakers cited a shocking Post report that over 30 migrants have been living in the city of Jamestown, located in rural Chautauqua County, since late last year.

Most of the migrants traveled to Jamestown on their own after learning about the safety of the city from fellow border-crossers in El Paso, Texas, several had previously told The Post.

But leaders of the city — which only has a reported population of 28,393 people — are worried that the influx of immigrants will quickly overwhelm Jamestown’s local services and infrastructure, especially because neither the migrants nor the city has received additional state or federal aid.

Over 30 migrants have been living in Jamestown, a city in Upstate New York, since late last year.

Several Colombian migrants said they landed in Jamestown after learning about its safety from fellow border-crossers in El Paso.


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Jamestown leaders worry that the small city doesn’t have the resources to support the migrant population.


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“[W]e wish to express our outrage at the secrecy with which your administration has and continues to carry out these national relocation operations,” the lawmakers wrote. “This unprecedented influx of migrants into the United States is an obvious sign of your administration’s failed policies at the Southern Border.”

Tenney and Stefanik submitted a list of six demands:

  • The number of illegal migrants that were apprehended at the Southern border and relocated to New York by the government since January 2021;
  • A full list of which New York counties and municipalities the migrants were sent to and which areas can expect migrants to be sent to in the future;
  • Documentation proving executive branch agencies notified New York those counties, municipalities and local law enforcement that migrants would be coming, or an explanation of why the government chose not to do so;
  • Information on how the White House is monitoring the status and locations of the migrants they’ve relocated since January 2021;
  • The whereabouts of every migrant that has been relocated by the government to New York State since January 2021; and
  • A promise that the Biden administration will commit to notifying Tenney and Stefanik’s offices and local officials whenever illegal migrants are relocated to the state.

The pols requested a response from the White House by the end of the month and threatened to take action against the administration if they failed to do so, “including but not limited to withholding additional federal funding.”

“Rather than shifting the burden to the small communities we represent, that are not equipped to handle the influx, the answer is to secure the border,” they said.

Rep. Claudia Tenney penned the letter demanding information from the Biden administration over the migrant influx in New York State.

Rep. Elise Stefanik had sent the White House a letter last year demanding that the government stop sending migrants to the Empire State.


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The pols threatened to hold President Biden accountable if he doesn’t reply to their requests.


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“Already, your current policies have created a humanitarian and national security catastrophe which undermines the rule of law and empowers human traffickers and criminal gangs.”

The White House did not return an immediate request for comment.

The missive comes almost exactly one year after Stefanik submitted a letter to Biden demanding that he stop sending migrants to New York.

The crisis has only accelerated in the past year, especially in New York City.

At least 41,000 migrants have arrived in the Big Apple from the southern border since the spring, according to City Hall.

Mayor Eric Adams has said that housing and providing services to incoming migrants may cost the Big Apple as much as $2 billion as the city planned to open a sixth emergency shelter in Midtown for migrants.

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George Santos’ new treasurer claims he didn’t agree to be named to the position

Lying Rep. George Santos’ campaign replaced the New York Republican’s longtime treasurer on Wednesday with a man who says he didn’t agree to take the job, according to a report. 

New filings with the Federal Election Commission name Thomas Datwyler as the treasurer of Santos’ campaign and six political committees aligned with the embattled representative, the New York Times reports

However, a lawyer for Datwyler said Wednesday that Santos’ team listed him as treasurer without his authorization. 

“On Monday, we informed the Santos campaign that Mr. Datwyler would not be taking over as treasurer,” Datwyler’s lawyer, Derek Ross, told the news outlet. “And there appears to be some disconnect between that conversation and this filing.”

Datwyler previously worked alongside Santos’ chief of staff, Charles Lovett, on the failed Senate campaign of Ohio Republican Josh Mandel. Datwyler was replaced as treasurer on the Mandel campaign and accused by Mandel’s team in a letter to the FEC of being responsible for a “stunning number of inexplicable reporting errors,” according to the New York Times. 


Santos talks with reporters as he makes his way from the Republican National Committee office in Washington, DC, Jan. 25, 2023.
Rod Lamkey – CNP

It’s unclear why the Santos campaign is replacing former treasurer Nancy Marks, who has been involved with Santos since his first congressional run in 2020 and worked as treasurer for former New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin’s failed campaign for governor.

On Wednesday, Santos’ team amended several campaign finance documents to show that a $500,000 loan he made to his 2022 congressional campaign didn’t come from “personal funds of the candidate.” It is unknown where those funds he lent his campaign came from. 


A lawyer said Wednesday that Santos’ team listed him as treasurer without his authorization. 
AP

Santos is facing pressure to resign from his congressional seat after his admission to The Post last month that he lied about graduating college and working for top investment firms. 

He is currently under investigation at the federal, state, and county level, reportedly over hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans made to his campaign coming off a job where he reported earning $55,000 a year in salary. 

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Jared Bridegan’s ex linked to man charged with his murder

The man charged in connection with the slaying of a Microsoft executive in front of his 2-year-old daughter last year has a direct connection to the slain father’s ex-wife and her new husband, property records show.

Records show Henry Tenon, 61 — who is now facing a murder rap for allegedly killing Jared Bridegan — lived in a home once owned by Mario Fernandez.

Tenon resided at 5239 Potomac Ave. in Jacksonville, Fla., which is listed as being owned by Fernandez, records show.

He had married Shanna Gardner-Fernandez in 2018, two years after she had split from Bridegan, who she had continued to feud with about custody arrangements for their two children long after their divorce.

At a press conference, law enforcement officials pointedly noted that Tenon did not act alone in the murder and that their probe is ongoing.


Shanna Gardner-Fernandez married Mario Fernandez in 2018.
momandpaparazzi.com / BACKGRID

Shanna and Mario Fernandez had previously been named suspects in Bridegan’s death, but cops made no link between them and Tenon at a press conference announcing his arrest Wednesday.

Tenon, a convicted felon, has prior burglary and battery raps on his record.

Gardner-Fernandez and her new spouse have vehemently denied involvement in Bridegan’s death but retained prominent Jacksonville attorney Henry Coxe III soon after the slaying.

Shanna Gardner-Fernandez with her husband Mario Fernandez.
Records show Henry Tenon lived in a home once owned by Mario Fernandez.


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Henry Tenon has been charged in connection to the murder.
Jacksonville Police

Her marriage to Bridegan reportedly dissolved after she cheated on him. But despite their court wrangling, in an interview with the Florida Times-Union, Gardner-Fernandez emphatically denied any role in her former spouse’s death.

She acknowledged that she once asked a tattoo parlor employee if he knew anyone who could silence Bridegan but dismissed the remark as an unserious quip.

Gardner-Fernandez, who comes from a wealthy Mormon family, recently decamped from Florida to a property in Richland, Washington that was purchased by her parents.

She has reportedly split from Fernandez, and he did not join her in the move.


Jared Bridegan was killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter.
GoFundMe

Henry Tenon lived in this home owned by the husband of Bridegan’s ex-wife.
Google Maps

Bridegan was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old daughter Bexley in what police have definitively called a planned hit.

The doting dad had four kids, two with Gardner-Fernandez and two with his new wife, Kirsten Bridegan.

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Kevin McCarthy kicks Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell off intel panel

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday that Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell will no longer be members of the House Intelligence Committee, rejecting Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ weekend appeal for their reappointment to the prestigious panel. 

The move had been long-anticipated, as McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to remove Schiff (D-Calif.) and Swalwell (D-Calif.) prior to the 2022 midterm elections if Republicans took control of the House. Earlier this month, McCarthy also signaled that he would make good on the pre-election promise.

Jeffries (D-NY) on Saturday called the pair of California Democrats “eminently qualified” to serve on the committee and claimed there was no “precedent or justification” for McCarthy to reject his request to seat them.

“I appreciate the loyalty you have to your Democrat colleagues, and I acknowledge your efforts to have two Members of Congress reinstated to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to Jeffries on Tuesday.


Rep. Adam Schiff was already in the plans to be removed from the committee as McCarthy pledged to do so in 2022.
ZUMAPRESS.com

“But I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of the national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership to this essential committee. Integrity matters more,” he added, arguing 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.”

​​“In order to maintain a standard worthy of this committee’s responsibilities, I am hereby rejecting the appointments of Representative Adam Schiff and Representative Eric Swalwell to serve on the Intelligence Committee,” McCarthy declared. 

McCarthy denied on Tuesday that kicking Schiff and Swalwell off the committee was retaliation for Democrats stripping committee assignments from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) in 2021.


Rep. Eric Swalwell’s removal was in no intention motivated by the Democrats stripping committee assignments from Rep. Greene and Gosar in 2021, McCarthy said.
AP

“This is not anything political. This is not similar to what the Democrats did,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol Building, according to the Hill. 

Schiff, the former chairman of the Intel Committee, was not convinced that the decision was apolitical. 

“His objection seems to be that I was the lead impeachment manager in Donald Trump’s first impeachment and that we held him accountable for withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Ukraine in order to try to extort that country into helping his political campaign,” Schiff told reporters Tuesday, according to the Hill. 

“I think it’s just another body blow to the institution of Congress, that he’s behaving this way, but it shows just how weak he is as a Speaker that he has to give in to the most extreme elements of his conference, in this case the Marjorie Taylor Greenes and Paul Gosars,” he added.

In November, McCarthy accused Schiff of lying “to the American public time and again” and said  Republicans “will not allow him to be on the Intel Committee.”

McCarthy’s reasoning for removing Swalwell dates back to reports that emerged in 2020 that a suspected Chinese spy infiltrated his campaign and got close to the congressman.

“Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance in the secrets to America? So, I will not allow him to be on Intel,” McCarthy told Fox News in November.



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