U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is now accusing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of “political abuse,” the Washington Examiner reports. 

The accusation comes after McCarthy decided to remove Swalwell and other Democrats from their committee assignments in the House of Representatives.

In the last congress, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set a new precedent by removing several Republicans – including U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) – from their committee assignments.

McCarthy vowed to return to the favor should he become House speaker, and now he is following through on this promise.

Background

McCarthy, in particular, has set his sights on three House members: U.S. Reps. Swalwell, Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

McCarthy has already removed Swalwell and Schiff from the Intelligence committee, something that he has the power to do unilaterally as House Speaker.

McCarthy removed Swalwell from the committee because of his ties to a Chines spy, ties that, according to McCarthy, the FBI has expressed concern about. McCarthy removed Schiff from the committee because of repeated “lies,” including Schiff’s well-known push of the Russia-Trump collusion narrative.

As for Omar, McCarthy is looking to remove her from the Foreign Affairs committee in response to the numerous anti-Israel statements that she has made. McCarthy, though, does not have the power to do this unilaterally, and it now appears that some House Republicans are opposing McCarthy’s efforts here.

Regardless, all three – Swalwell, Schiff, and Omar – have been trying to capitalize on the situation politically.

“Political abuse”

Swalwell initially responded to being kicked off of the Intelligence committee with some kind of veiled threat.

At a press conference that he held alongside Shiff and Omar, Swalwell said:

But we will not be quiet. We’re not going away. I think he’ll regret giving all three of us more time on our hands. But at the end of the day, our mission now is to restore the credibility and integrity of this institution of which the speaker has so gravely, so gravely smashed and destroyed.

Swalwell, during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s State of the Union – an appearance, which, once again, included Schiff and Omar – continued this sort of rhetoric.

“It’s Kevin McCarthy weaponizing his ability to commit this political abuse, because he perceives me, just like Mr. Schiff and Miss Omar, as an effective political opponent,” Swalwell claimed.

Whether Swalwell’s messaging, here, actually resonates with any Americans remains to be seen.