In a surprising political move, Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) from the Intelligence Committee following alleged concerns raised by President-elect Donald Trump.
Turner, who until yesterday evening chaired the committee, had voted against the censure of Adam Schiff in July 2023 related to the Trump-Russia investigations, a decision that may have influenced his dismissal.
Turner previously told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota that then-House Intelligence Chairman Schiff should step aside due to his compromised leadership.
While Trump’s team denied any direct involvement in the decision, Turner confirmed the removal during a discussion with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan. According to Turner, Johnson cited “concerns from Mar-a-Lago” as the reasoning behind the abrupt dismissal but provided no further details.
Inside the Controversial Decision
Turner revealed that he was summoned to the speaker’s office on Wednesday evening, where Johnson delivered the news. Despite Turner’s bipartisan reputation and respected tenure as committee chair, Johnson reportedly justified the action by referencing unspecified concerns linked to Trump.
As The Hill reports:
Turner had been the top Republican on the committee, a position selected by the Speaker, since the start of 2022, chosen by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for the role.
One Republican lawmaker told The Hill the decision was made after complaints from Freedom Caucus members.
Johnson’s decision to remove Turner comes as somewhat of a surprise. Though the Louisianan had not officially named a chair for the Intelligence panel for this Congress, Turner attended a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with President-elect Trump over the weekend with all the other House GOP standing committee chairs.
“It’s a new Congress, we just need fresh horses in some of these places, but I’m a Mike Turner fan, he’s done a great job, he’s performed valiantly in a difficult time under difficult circumstances. So I have nothing but positive things to say about my friend and colleague,” Johnson told reporters as he left the Capitol.
Reflecting on the situation to CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, Brennan highlighted Turner’s history of bipartisan leadership in the Intelligence Community, emphasizing the unusual nature of his removal.
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AS YOU WELL KNOW, WE’RE NOT GETTING THE WHOLE STORY!!!
Now if the Ohio voters will wake up and primary this RINO things will continue to improve.
Time to clean up those who are questionable , Trump won’t make the mistake of leaving corrupt , underhanded politicians to close to be sneaky and release their own agenda to the media who can’t be trusted.