House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress, a move that has sparked concerns about the future of the panel’s oversight role under the incoming Trump administration.
Johnson denied that President-elect Donald Trump had urged him to remove Turner, saying it was a “House decision” and not a “slight” on the outgoing chairman. He announced that he would select a new chairman “later this week”.
Turner, who has led the committee since 2017, said he was “very proud to have served” as chairman and praised his colleagues on the panel. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jim Himes, expressed concern over the change, calling it a “blow” to the panel’s ability to conduct oversight.
Himes, a Connecticut congressman, warned that the removal of Turner would make the nation less secure and would be a “terrible portent” for the future of congressional oversight. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz, deferred to Johnson on the decision, stating that congressional leadership decisions were Johnson’s to make.
