Kevin McCarthy vows to remove Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs committee if GOP retakes the House
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested on Tuesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should "strip" Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of her House Foreign Affairs Committee assignment, following the Minnesota representative's controversial comments comparing war crimes committed by the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban, Politico reports. Omar has since clarified her remarks, which were made last week.
"I think Nancy Pelosi should remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs committee," said McCarthy to Fox & Friends in a Tuesday morning interview. He argued that Omar has "not once, but on numerous occasions been anti-Semitic," writes Politico.
McCarthy "stopped short" of threatening a vote to censure Omar or remove her from the committee, but he did warn that Republicans could kick her off later — if they retake control of the House next year, per Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I will promise you this," McCarthy said, "If we are fortunate enough to have the majority, Omar would not be serving on Foreign Affairs, or anybody that has an anti-Semitic, anti-American view. That is not productive, and that is not right."
Notably, an incendiary member of McCarthy's caucus — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — has been embroiled in an anti-Semitic controversy of her own, likening face mask mandates to the Holocaust. She apologized on Monday, amid reports of an expected censure resolution, writes CNN.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is reportedly leading an effort to censure Omar, as well, writes NBC. Republican leadership is expected to further discuss the Minnesota representative at a GOP conference meeting on Tuesday. Read more at Politico and NBC.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs



