US Democrat politician Ilhan Omar said on Monday that the Republicans are "OK with Islamophobia" and "not OK with Muslims having a voice."
On Sunday, Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) criticized House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for his efforts to exclude them from House committees.
The three representatives appeared on "State of the Union" on CNN to talk about McCarthy's actions, who last week denied Schiff and Swalwell access to seats on the Intelligence Committee. Despite McCarthy citing questionable security reasons, the action was clearly in response to the Democrats' removal of Representatives Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from committee assignments in 2021.
During an interview with Dana Bash on Sunday, Swalwell, who had an association with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative but was not accused of wrongdoing, dismissed the allegations and criticized McCarthy. He stated that there was "nothing there."
Swalwell described McCarthy's actions as "Bakersfield B.S." (a derogatory reference to McCarthy's hometown in California) and accused him of using his power for political retaliation against him, Schiff, and Omar because he sees them as effective political opponents.
McCarthy has also vowed to prevent Omar from serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Although he has the authority to unilaterally block individuals from serving on the Intelligence Committee, he would likely require a vote by the House to prevent Omar from serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Ilhan Omar, for her part, told HuffPost earlier this month that she believes McCarthy has no valid reason for removing her from committees, other than her being Muslim.
During her interview with Bash, she mentioned Republicans' comments regarding Somali refugees, Muslims, and herself.
Omar said that Republicans are "OK with Islamophobia and antisemitism, but not OK with letting Muslims have a voice on the committee."
