House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has decided to remove Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, a source familiar with the decision confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Turner was appointed chairman of the committee in January 2023 after first joining as a member of the panel in 2015. It’s not yet known who Johnson will tap to replace Turner on the powerful committee.
It’s unclear why Turner was removed from the leadership position, but the Ohio Republican has ruffled some feathers in both Republican and Democratic circles during his short tenure.
One such instance was when Turner caught members of the intelligence community off guard last year when he called on President Joe Biden to declassify information regarding what he described as “a serious national security threat.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was “surprised” by that move, telling reporters at the time had proactively reached out to him and other top lawmakers to schedule a classified briefing before Turner made the call.
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Some House Republicans also took issue with the move, with Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) calling on Johnson to open an inquiry into Turner for publicly raising concerns about a national security threat, accusing the chairman of doing it with “reckless disregard of the implications and consequences.”
It’s unclear whether an inquiry was opened or if it relates to Johnson’s decision.
