Out went Turner (R-Ohio), a brash, prickly defense hawk who had been elevated by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and had become an internal headache for Johnson due to what many saw as his hamfisted handling of a divisive intraparty debate over surveillance powers.
Speaker Mike Johnson tapped CIA Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford as the new head of the House Intelligence Committee after a dramatic shakeup saw the ouster of Mike Turner.
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) was seen as next in line to take over the chairmanship from Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH).
As Intelligence Committee chair, Turner vocally supported helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia, repeatedly urging the Biden administration to hasten aid. His position was at odds with others in the Trump wing of the party, such as Vice President-elect JD Vance, who tried to block aid and argued the war was unwinnable.
Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner has been removed as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and will not serve in that powerful role in the new Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday he declined to reappoint Turner to the committee chairmanship,
House Speaker Mike Johnson removed Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Mike Turner who had been a strong defender of NATO and aid for Ukraine in defending itself against Russia.
Turner confirmed to a CBS News correspondent that Speaker Mike Johnson removed him from the position citing concerns from Mar-a-Lago.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will not make Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) chair of the House Intelligence Committee in the 119th Congress, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to The Hill.
Rep. Mike Turner last year warned of a “national security threat” in what some Republicans considered a political ruse.
Johnson sent shockwaves around Capitol Hill when he decided to oust Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio — a staunch NATO supporter who has aggressively pushed for U.S. aid to Ukraine — as chair of the House Intelligence Committee and replace him with Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., a conservative who voted against the most recent Ukraine aid package.
Representative Mike Turner has reportedly been removed from his role as House Intelligence Committee chairman.