Washington — Republican Rep. Mike Turner, a Republican from Ohio, was fired from his powerful position as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, CBS News reported. He claimed that House Speaker Mike Johnson had done so, citing concerns from Mar-a Lago.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who is a member of the Republican Party, denied that this decision was made by Donald Trump, President-elect.
He said: “This is not a slight to our retiring chairman.
Johnson called Turner “a Mike Turner Fan” and said that he “did a great job”. He added, however, that the committee “needs to start fresh.”
He said, “That is all this is about. Nothing else.”
Johnson announced that he will announce Turner’s successor Thursday.
Jim Himes, Connecticut’s top Democrat, said that the decision sent “a shiver up my spine.” He praised Turner for his leadership and said he had confidence in Turner’s ability to oversee the intelligence agencies independently.
He said that Turner’s dismissal was “a big blow to our ability of oversight”.
Turner’s office did not mention his removal in the statement it issued.
“I am very proud of having served as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He said, “I’m proud to have served alongside such great members of the Committee.” “Under my direction, we restored integrity to the Committee and returned the mission of the Committee back to its core focus: national security. “The threat posed by our enemies is real and demands serious deliberations.”
Turner was criticized by members of the House Freedom Caucus for his support of Section 702 in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The controversial Section 702 has been in place since 2008 and is an important national security tool that Congress extended last April.
Turner was also a proponent of U.S. assistance to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. This put him at odds with his ascendant MAGA party.
Johnson appointed two Trump supporters to the committee last year: Rep. Scott Perry from California and Rep. Ronny J. Jackson of Texas. Perry was being investigated by the FBI at that time.
