When Republican Ohio Rep. Mike Turner was unceremoniously ousted as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) just ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, reports claimed that Trump had ordered Speaker Mike Johnson to orchestrate the shakeup. However, sources close to the decision-making process explained to the Daily Caller the real reasons behind Johnson giving Turner the boot.
In early January, Tablet Magazine published a piece that said Turner was boasting that he would be “taking over Trump’s IC [Intelligence Community]” by trying to get his staff director, Adam Howard, hired as the National Security Council’s senior director for intelligence. Tablet reported that Howard “is meant to be [Turner’s] instrument” in the position. Turner and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz both disputed the idea that Turner was influencing staffing decisions at the NSC.
“No one’s making personnel decisions outside of President Trump and his transition team. I mean, that’s it,” Waltz said in an exclusive interview with the Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘So Much Distrust’: Incoming Trump NSA Disputes Report That Neocons Are Influencing MAGA Staffing)
Regardless of its veracity, sources familiar with Turner’s ousting told the Caller that the report is still among a range of factors that influenced Turner’s removal from the top post on the Intelligence committee. However, these sources explained, Turner would have likely still have been pushed out even if the Tablet report had never dropped.
With Johnson being reelected speaker of the new Congress, he has the opportunity to choose his own chairs for select committees, like HPSCI, without input from the steering committee. One of the biggest factors for Turner’s dismissal was the view of most of the Republican conference that Turner is “in bed with the intelligence community,” the Caller’s sources explained. Turner was considered to be more aligned with former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and, although Johnson and Turner got along personally, Johnson was looking for change.
“The timing is the timing. It’s a new Congress and the speaker has to make appointments to select committees,” a source familiar said, adding, “Turner was a McCarthy guy.”
Sources familiar with the decision also asserted that Trump did not demand Turner’s removal, as was heavily reported at the time. NBC News described Trump’s alleged involvement as “unsettling” and a “dynamic without modern precedent,” insinuating that Trump was effectively controlling the Congress through Johnson. However, those familiar said that although Trump and Johnson did have a conversation about Turner, it was always Johnson’s decision to make regarding Turner’s future on HPSCI.
Another source familiar told the Caller that “this decision was based on a range of factors, not any specific one factor. The Tablet report would probably be among a range of those factors.”
Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) speaks during a press conference on the 2023 Fiscal Year at the U.S Capitol Building on December 14, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a House Republican who was granted anonymity due to the sensitive topic, said that it “feels like there’s a better shot at getting something done on FISA this year with Turner gone.”
Turner made waves in a bad way last year when Republicans debated whether to add a warrant requirement when renewing FISA’s Section 702 provision, which has been used to spy on Americans in the past, including the Trump campaign.
During the back-and-forth over the warrant amendment, Turner issued a vague warning about an imminent “national security threat.” The announcement was reportedly not run by Speaker Johnson beforehand, and some colleagues accused Turner of pulling a stunt to help advance a warrantless FISA renewal.
“Chairman Mike Turner should lose his job over his political stunt this week. His cryptic statements caused the markets to crash and created unnecessary panic,” Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs tweeted at the time.
Chairman Mike Turner should lose his job over his political stunt this week.
His cryptic statements caused the markets to crash and created unnecessary panic.
This stunt conveniently occurred during the week we wanted to curtail warrantless government surveillance. pic.twitter.com/9bMdYbXIcM
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 16, 2024
Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles sent a letter to Johnson at the time demanding Turner be investigated for the incident. Fellow Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett said it “just looks bad.” Johnson was forced to hold a press conference urging against public alarm as a result of Turner’s statements.
Sources told the Caller that the move left a bad taste in the mouth of some of Turner’s Republican colleagues in the House, and was another contributing factor to his ouster.
In an exclusive interview with the Caller, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that he had not conversations about staffing decisions with Turner since he was selected by Trump to lead the NSC. Turner also stated he is not involved with the Trump transition team and hasn’t tried to be, asserting, “Anonymous reports to the contrary are false.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Mike Waltz Teases ‘Consequences’ For Former Intel Officials Who Signed Hunter Biden Disinformation Letter)
Johnson announced that he chose Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford to chair the HPSCI after Turner’s departure, saying Crawford
“will provide principled leadership” as chairman and that he “has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his steady approach to the challenges facing our country.”
Turner’s office declined to comment for this story.