Chairman Mike Johnson on Wednesday removed Representative Michael R. Turner of Ohio from chairing the House Intelligence Committee, in a shakeup that signaled plans to bring closer He is a national security adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Turner, who emerged from his meeting with the speaker Wednesday afternoon visibly upset, told PEOPLE that Mr. Johnson had informed him that his firing was the result of a request from the state of Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, according to Mr. people familiar with these matters.
The president-elect has long been suspicious of the intelligence agency, saying its members are part of a political “deep state” that is out to get him. By firing Republicans seen as too disloyal to Mr. Trump, Mr. Johnson appeared to pave the way for the president-elect to exercise tighter control over the committee that oversees intelligence matters.
Mr. Turner, a mainstream conservative who has represented southwest Ohio in the House for more than two decades, has at times criticized Mr. Trump’s actions. He broke with the majority of his party on January 6, 2021, and voted to confirm the 2020 election of Joseph R. Biden Jr. He is also a leading proponent of supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, breaking the stance of the president-elect and many others in his “America First” party.
Mr Johnson denied on Wednesday that Mr Trump was behind the decision to remove Mr Turner as president, which was previously reported by Punchbowl.
“This is not President Trump’s decision; it’s a Senate decision,” Mr. Johnson told reporters on his way out of the Capitol Wednesday evening, adding that he had “nothing but good things” to say about Mr. Turner.
He said the panel “needs a fresh start, and that’s what it’s all about – nothing else.”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to say who he planned to appoint as Mr Turner’s replacement, although an announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.
Upon his removal as president, Mr. Johnson completely removed Mr. Turner in the committee, because it is more than six years that applies to members of the line. He became the senior Republican on the Intelligence Committee in 2022, and took over as chairman the following year, after the GOP won a majority.
Now, Mr. Johnson is in a position to further reshape the panel. The departures of Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Michael Waltz of Florida, who are expected to join the Trump administration, and other members who are serving terms, will create additional vacancies.
The speaker has a record of appointing Trump loyalists to committees. Last year, he blindsided Mr. Turner by nominating Representatives Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mr. Trump’s former White House physician, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a former leader of the the House Freedom Caucus.
While both men are allies of Mr. Trump, Mr. Turner has repeatedly spoken strongly about the president-elect. He criticized Mr Trump in a 2019 phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine who pressed the Ukrainian leader to investigate the Biden family.
“I want to say to the president: This is wrong,” Mr. Turner said during the intelligence panel’s hearing. “That conversation is wrong.”
He also disputed Mr. Trump’s claim that people jailed for taking part in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol were “hostages,” though he insisted he had not led his supporters to attack. Mr. Trump is the Congress. And he said in a television interview that Mr Trump’s decision to store classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left office was “deeply dubious” and “also appalling”. ” as an allegation about the management of Mr. Biden the classified documents.
Mr. Turner and Mr. Johnson have also clashed on different political fronts. They disagreed bitterly over whether it was wise to continue sending military aid to Ukraine, something Mr. Turner pushed for and Mr. Johnson opposed.
They also appear to be at odds over how to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which legalizes a form of warrantless surveillance program that was launched after a terrorist attack. on September 11, 2001. The intelligence community confirms that the program. has helped protect the US from terrorist attacks, but many of Mr Trump’s allies say it has been misused to spy on conservatives.
Mr. Turner has been credited by his Democratic colleagues for restoring bipartisanship in the intelligence world, something that crumbled during Mr. Trump’s first term. former representatives Devin Nunes, Republican of California, and Adam B. Schiff, Democrat. California – and now senators – often clashed.
Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the panel, told reporters on Wednesday evening that Mr Turner’s removal “sends shivers down my spine”.
Later, in a statement, he said: “The removal of President Turner makes our country unsafe and is a terrible sign of things to come. The Constitution requires Congress to act.” as a check and balance on the executive branch, not responding to their demands.”
Carl Hulse contributed to the report.
