Johnson Implements a MAGA Makeover on House Intel
The speaker introduced a new, Trump-friendly chair and appointed several new members to the panel who share similar views.
TroibNews 
Speaker Mike Johnson is restructuring the House Intelligence Committee in alignment with President-elect Donald Trump's vision, a significant shift as Trump reclaims his position of power.
On Wednesday night, Johnson removed hawkish Rep. Mike Turner from the chair position and replaced him with the more MAGA-aligned Rick Crawford as the lead Republican on the committee. Johnson also brought on several vocal Trump supporters, including Reps. Ben Cline, Pat Fallon, Greg Steube, Claudia Tenney, and Ann Wagner.
This transformation within the committee is already sparking significant backlash from some Republicans, both on the committee and within the broader conference, who view it as an indication of the House’s diminishing independence from Trump. Democrats, meanwhile, are concerned about the potential resurgence of the partisanship that characterized the panel during Trump’s first term.
In contrast to Turner, who has been a strong advocate for Ukraine funding and a robust national security approach, Crawford embodies a more America First perspective. He opposed aid to Ukraine last year and was the only member of the Arkansas congressional delegation to vote against the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2021.
Crawford is recognized as a team player for Trump's agenda. Prior to the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, he temporarily surrendered his Intelligence seat to Rep. Jim Jordan, a seasoned partisan fighter, believing it would provide Republicans with more leverage during televised hearings. He emphasized his desire "to ensure the American people hear the full truth" amid allegations that Trump sought to withhold military aid to Ukraine for political gain.
PMG first reported on Thursday that Johnson intended to appoint Crawford. Johnson and Turner met in the speaker’s office on Wednesday night, an encounter that many Republicans on the committee assumed was to discuss the panel’s new member list. Instead, Johnson informed Turner that he was being replaced.
Turner later told CBS News that Johnson indicated the decision stemmed from “concerns from Mar-a-Lago,” although other internal matters within the House may have also influenced Johnson’s choice.
Turner, who was originally appointed to lead committee Republicans by then-Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2022, has made some enemies on the MAGA right due to his approach to key intelligence issues, including a significant internal conflict last year regarding the renewal of certain surveillance authorities used to monitor Americans.
Conservative hard-liners expressed their anger after they felt Turner attempted to pressure them into supporting the surveillance bill by referencing overarching “national security” concerns. In contrast, Crawford backed the renewal of those authorities without attempting to coerce hard-liners, as indicated by one GOP lawmaker who requested anonymity to discuss internal dynamics candidly.
This internal GOP struggle posed a challenge for Johnson, who was relatively new to the speaker role at that time and trying to navigate the competing demands within his conference.
"He’s the most senior member, he is highly qualified and has been doing great work on the committee for six years,” Johnson stated as he left the Capitol on Thursday, denying any claims that Freedom Caucus members had pressured him to oust Turner.
“We have a lot of reform and restoration of trust that’s needed in the intelligence community, and I think he’s the perfect guy,” he added.
During Trump’s first term, under chairs Devin Nunes and then Adam Schiff, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence was marked by significant partisan strife. Republicans focused on identifying alleged “deep state” adversaries of Trump within the intelligence community, while Democrats centered their first impeachment efforts around the committee.
Among the new members that Johnson appointed on Thursday — he has complete control as speaker over the composition of the committee — none are known to be critics of Trump. Wagner, who recently missed being appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has transformed into a fervent Trump supporter after initially opposing him earlier in his political ascent.
Other Republicans had sought positions on the committee but were not selected, including Rep. Laurel Lee, who had endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis against Trump during last year’s presidential primaries.
Johnson’s decision to reshape the committee has created unease among segments of his conference, particularly among centrists who supported Turner. Some GOP members have expressed concerns about the qualifications of the newly appointed members Johnson chose, arguing that they were less qualified than other Republicans who had aimed for these roles.
Rep. Don Bacon, a GOP defense hawk, shared that many "were doing a good job in most of our minds" and called for clarity on the situation.
“We’d like to know what happened, because we don’t know,” Bacon stated. “But we don’t like it because we agree with him on Ukraine, we agree with him on [surveillance]. So did the speaker.”
“I think it’s divisive within the conference,” he added. “We probably should just know what the truth is, because some of the rumors out there are offensive.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, often clashed with Turner but expressed concern about the implication of Trump’s influence behind Turner’s ousting.
“Turner and I have gone at each other on a number of occasions, but he is a smart, competent guy who knows the intel community, and he’s done the job really well for two years now,” Smith remarked. “There is no reason to remove him from that leadership post based on his ability to run the committee.”
Smith suggested that the situation implies a significant level of control Trump may exert over the House.
“It sure as hell seems like Donald Trump said, ‘I don’t like that guy, get rid of him,’ and Mike Johnson said, ‘Yes, sir,’” Smith concluded.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
On Wednesday night, Johnson removed hawkish Rep. Mike Turner from the chair position and replaced him with the more MAGA-aligned Rick Crawford as the lead Republican on the committee. Johnson also brought on several vocal Trump supporters, including Reps. Ben Cline, Pat Fallon, Greg Steube, Claudia Tenney, and Ann Wagner.
This transformation within the committee is already sparking significant backlash from some Republicans, both on the committee and within the broader conference, who view it as an indication of the House’s diminishing independence from Trump. Democrats, meanwhile, are concerned about the potential resurgence of the partisanship that characterized the panel during Trump’s first term.
In contrast to Turner, who has been a strong advocate for Ukraine funding and a robust national security approach, Crawford embodies a more America First perspective. He opposed aid to Ukraine last year and was the only member of the Arkansas congressional delegation to vote against the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2021.
Crawford is recognized as a team player for Trump's agenda. Prior to the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, he temporarily surrendered his Intelligence seat to Rep. Jim Jordan, a seasoned partisan fighter, believing it would provide Republicans with more leverage during televised hearings. He emphasized his desire "to ensure the American people hear the full truth" amid allegations that Trump sought to withhold military aid to Ukraine for political gain.
PMG first reported on Thursday that Johnson intended to appoint Crawford. Johnson and Turner met in the speaker’s office on Wednesday night, an encounter that many Republicans on the committee assumed was to discuss the panel’s new member list. Instead, Johnson informed Turner that he was being replaced.
Turner later told CBS News that Johnson indicated the decision stemmed from “concerns from Mar-a-Lago,” although other internal matters within the House may have also influenced Johnson’s choice.
Turner, who was originally appointed to lead committee Republicans by then-Leader Kevin McCarthy in 2022, has made some enemies on the MAGA right due to his approach to key intelligence issues, including a significant internal conflict last year regarding the renewal of certain surveillance authorities used to monitor Americans.
Conservative hard-liners expressed their anger after they felt Turner attempted to pressure them into supporting the surveillance bill by referencing overarching “national security” concerns. In contrast, Crawford backed the renewal of those authorities without attempting to coerce hard-liners, as indicated by one GOP lawmaker who requested anonymity to discuss internal dynamics candidly.
This internal GOP struggle posed a challenge for Johnson, who was relatively new to the speaker role at that time and trying to navigate the competing demands within his conference.
"He’s the most senior member, he is highly qualified and has been doing great work on the committee for six years,” Johnson stated as he left the Capitol on Thursday, denying any claims that Freedom Caucus members had pressured him to oust Turner.
“We have a lot of reform and restoration of trust that’s needed in the intelligence community, and I think he’s the perfect guy,” he added.
During Trump’s first term, under chairs Devin Nunes and then Adam Schiff, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence was marked by significant partisan strife. Republicans focused on identifying alleged “deep state” adversaries of Trump within the intelligence community, while Democrats centered their first impeachment efforts around the committee.
Among the new members that Johnson appointed on Thursday — he has complete control as speaker over the composition of the committee — none are known to be critics of Trump. Wagner, who recently missed being appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has transformed into a fervent Trump supporter after initially opposing him earlier in his political ascent.
Other Republicans had sought positions on the committee but were not selected, including Rep. Laurel Lee, who had endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis against Trump during last year’s presidential primaries.
Johnson’s decision to reshape the committee has created unease among segments of his conference, particularly among centrists who supported Turner. Some GOP members have expressed concerns about the qualifications of the newly appointed members Johnson chose, arguing that they were less qualified than other Republicans who had aimed for these roles.
Rep. Don Bacon, a GOP defense hawk, shared that many "were doing a good job in most of our minds" and called for clarity on the situation.
“We’d like to know what happened, because we don’t know,” Bacon stated. “But we don’t like it because we agree with him on Ukraine, we agree with him on [surveillance]. So did the speaker.”
“I think it’s divisive within the conference,” he added. “We probably should just know what the truth is, because some of the rumors out there are offensive.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, often clashed with Turner but expressed concern about the implication of Trump’s influence behind Turner’s ousting.
“Turner and I have gone at each other on a number of occasions, but he is a smart, competent guy who knows the intel community, and he’s done the job really well for two years now,” Smith remarked. “There is no reason to remove him from that leadership post based on his ability to run the committee.”
Smith suggested that the situation implies a significant level of control Trump may exert over the House.
“It sure as hell seems like Donald Trump said, ‘I don’t like that guy, get rid of him,’ and Mike Johnson said, ‘Yes, sir,’” Smith concluded.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
