“The speaker claims that the decision has nothing to do with President-elect Trump, but Mike Turner denies this”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
Johnson, a Republican, told reporters that Congressman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, would no longer chair the committee that oversees the nation’s intelligence services.
Johnson explained this decision by the fact that “to the intelligence community and everything related to (by the committee – ed.)a fresh start is needed.”
He claims it has nothing to do with President-elect Donald Trump, whose inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
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“This is a decision of the House of Representatives and it is not a sign of disrespect to our outgoing Speaker. He did a great job,” Johnson said.
Turner, who has served as the committee’s chairman since 2023, disputed Johnson’s explanation. In a comment to the American television and radio company CBS, he said that the Speaker of the House referred to “concerns on the part of Mar-a-Lago” – Trump’s estate in Florida.
On the social network X (formerly Twitter), he said that it was an honor for him to work as the chairman of the committee. According to Turner, under his leadership, the integrity of the committee has been restored and its mission has returned to the core area of national security.
In November 2024, Turner supported easing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American weapons to strike Russia, saying that this decision should have been made earlier.
In addition to loudly supporting aid to Ukraine, the chairman of the committee held other views that contradicted Trump’s positions. In particular, he dismissed Trump’s false claims during the presidential campaign last year that Haitian migrants in his neighborhood were allegedly eating pets.
Johnson, who works closely with Trump, said Turner would play an important role in working with NATO. According to him, Turner’s successor will be announced on January 16.
The committee chairman is one of eight congressional leaders briefed on classified intelligence matters.