A top Republican was removed from his committee chairmanship by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), in a move that has been celebrated by the pro-Trump wing of the party.
As reported by The Hill, Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) was set to be the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress prior to the sudden decision by Johnson to remove him. He had previously served as chairman in the 118th Congress after the 2022 elections, having been selected by disgraced former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“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,” said Johnson in a statement following the ouster. “So I have nothing but positive things to say about my friend and colleague.”
Despite the polite tone of Johnson’s statement, anonymous members of Congress said that the decision was made primarily because of Johnson’s more moderate stances in the past. Among other things, Turner had voted against the measure to censure then-Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) over his lies about the “Russian collusion” hoax against President Donald Trump.
“What I know is that Mar-a-Lago vetoed Turner,” one anonymous lawmaker told The Hill. “They vetoed him, and Johnson couldn’t resist doing it, and so he got sandbagged because Trump wanted that to happen.”
However, James Blair, the incoming White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs, issued a statement declaring that any supposed conflict between President-elect Trump and Congressman Turner was “false information.”
As a result of his removal as chairman, Turner will not even have a seat on the committee at all. His replacement has not yet been announced.
Start the discussion at community.amgreatness.com