Washington — Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio was removed from his position atop the powerful House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, telling CBS News that House Speaker Mike Johnson fired him, citing “concerns from Mar-a-Lago.” Turner also confirmed Friday night that he had been removed from the committee entirely.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, denied that the decision came from President-elect Donald Trump.
“This is a House decision,” he said, “This is no slight whatever to our outgoing chairman.”
Johnson said he was “a Mike Turner fan” and “he did a great job” leading the committee that oversees the intelligence community, but added that the panel “needs a fresh start.”
“That’s what this is about, nothing else,” he said.
Johnson said he would announce Turner’s replacement Thursday.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the committee, said the decision “sends a shiver down my spine.” He praised Turner’s leadership, saying he was confident in his abilities to conduct independent oversight of the intelligence agencies.
“He was not quick to bend the knee,” he said, calling Turner’s removal “a huge blow to our ability to do oversight.”
Turner did not address his removal in a statement issued by his office.
“I’m very proud to have served on the House Intelligence Committee and as its chairman. There are great members on the Committee, and I’m honored to have served with them,” he said. “Under my leadership, we restored the integrity of the Committee and returned its mission to its core focus of national security. The threat from our adversaries is real and requires serious deliberations.”
Turner had previously received criticism from members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus over his defense of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. Section 702 is a key but controversial national security surveillance tool in effect since 2008 that was extended by Congress and signed into law last April by President Biden for another two years.
Turner also had been an advocate for U.S. support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, putting him at odds with the ascendant MAGA wing of his party.
Last year, Johnson named two Trump loyalists to the committee, Rep. Scott Perry of California and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas. At the time, Perry was under FBI investigation.
