Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday told reporters that the biggest difference between him and Rep. Nancy Pelosi‘s leadership is that he will not prevent Democrats from naming their own committee members. But when asked why, if that’s so, he’s preventing Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff are being kicked off their committees, he snapped about double standards.

During McCarthy’s Thursday presser, he was asked about whether serially dishonest Rep. George Santos will be trusted with sensitive or classified material, and indicated that, no, he will not. Not in the near term, anyway.

Later in the Q&A, he remarked that he would not prevent the Democrats in the House from naming their own committee members. A reporter then brought up the question of Swalwell being removed from the Intelligence committee.

“Let me phrase something very direct to you. If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn’t have Swalwell on any committee,” said McCarthy. “And you’re going to tell me other Democrats couldn’t fill that slot?”

“He cannot get a security clearance in the private sector. So would you like to give him a government clearance?” said McCarthy.

He then referenced the earlier questions about Santos and asked why the press didn’t challenge Swalwell’s clearance, considering the congressman’s former compromising relationship with a Chinese “honeytrap” spy.

“You asked me questions about Santos. You ask the questions about Swalwell? Not only was he getting a clearance, he was inside an intel committee. He had more information than the majority of all the members,” McCarthy vented. “Did you ever raise that issue? No! But you should have.”

He added that Democrats allowing Swalwell to remain on the committee “jeopardized all of us,” before similarly bashing Schiff for having “lied” to America while being allowed to remain on the committee.

SPEAKER MCCARTHY: You will find the fundamental difference of me being a Speaker and Nancy Pelosi:. The other side will get to name their members on the committee. It won’t be handpicked by me and denying the Democrats their voice. So whatever transpires out of that committee is worked through Republicans and Democrats as we move forward. The fundamental difference.

REPORTER: [inaudible] be true of the Intelligence Committee is it?

SPEAKER MCCARTHY: Why?

REPORTER: You said, you said you’re going to let Democrats appoint their own members to the committee, but you’ve also indicated you’re not going to let …

SPEAKER MCCARTHY: I was very clear early on. Let me phrase something very direct to you. If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn’t have Swalwell on any committee. And you’re going to tell me other Democrats couldn’t fill that slot?

He cannot get a security clearance in the private sector. So would you like to give him a government clearance?

You asked me questions about Santos. You ask the questions about Swalwell? Not only was he getting a clearance, he was inside an intel committee. He had more information than the majority of all the members. Did you ever raise that issue? No. But you should have.

You’re going to tell me there’s 200 other Democrats that couldn’t fill that slot. But they kept him on it? The only way that they even knew it came forward is when they went to nominate him to the Intel committee. And then the FBI came and told the leadership. Then he’s got a problem. And they kept him on.

That jeopardized all of us.

Watch the clip above, via PBS on YouTube.

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