McCarthy sees GOP defections ahead of expected effort to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar off House panel

Washington — As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy looks to follow through on his pledge to keep Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, it's unclear whether he will be successful given opposition from some of his fellow GOP members.

McCarthy has long threatened to hold a vote to deny Omar a seat on the panel if the GOP won the House majority because of past comments she has made about Israel, which rankled Republicans and Democrats alike. But GOP leaders also see the move as retaliation against Democrats who voted to strip two Republicans of their committee assignments over incendiary social media posts when they controlled the House.

Republicans now enjoy a narrow majority, and McCarthy can only afford four GOP defections in order to successfully garner the votes needed to keep Omar from holding committee seats.

But already, two Republican lawmakers, Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, have indicated they will oppose McCarthy's effort against Omar.