Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday chosen Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) to chair the Home Intelligence Committee, elevating the veteran panel member to the position after he eliminated Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) from the highest job.
The shift was a shock on Capitol Hill, the place Turner’s ouster sparked an outcry from Democrats and a few Republicans who got no advance warning of the transfer — and suspected that the “America First” wing of the celebration helped push Turner out.
However Johnson’s number of Crawford, probably the most senior GOP lawmaker on the panel, may assist calm issues from national-security targeted Republicans.
“Our intelligence community and its oversight must maintain the highest levels of trust. The House Intel Committee will play a pivotal role in this work in the new Congress, and Rick Crawford will provide principled leadership as its chairman,” Johnson stated in an announcement. “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.”
The announcement from Johnson got here lower than 24 hours after information broke that he wouldn’t re-appoint Turner to guide the Intelligence Committee within the 119th Congress amid, in accordance with one GOP lawmaker, complaints from hardline conservatives and “Mar-a-Lago” about his management.
Johnson has denied that President-elect Trump performed any position within the choice, and a spokesperson for Trump additionally indicated that he didn’t request the shakeup. The Speaker has the only authority to nominate the Intelligence Committee chairman and GOP members.
Crawford, who’s in his eighth time period in Congress and is beginning his fifth time period on the Intelligence Committee, had unsuccessfully sought to be chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the finish of final 12 months.
He declined to remark when requested in regards to the reviews of his appointment forward of Johnson’s announcement, deferring to the Speaker. However when requested if he was within the position, the Arkansas Republican left the door open.
“Anybody would be interested in taking a position as a committee chair, so I don’t think I’m any different than anyone,” he stated.
Crawford supported renewal of a controversial regulation permitting the warrantless surveillance of foreigners when they’re overseas, Part 702 of the International Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
It’s a measure that has earned the ire of the MAGA wing of the celebration, who see the intelligence software as a backdoor for having access to Individuals and who need to embody a warrant requirement.
Turner was additionally a significant proponent of the software, placing him at odds with staunch Trump supporters like Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a critic of the regulation and one of many few Intelligence Committee members to vote towards extending FISA 702.
Renewal of FISA 702 shall be a significant problem dealing with this 12 months, as Congress voted to increase the measure for 2 years — pushing what is going to little question be a controversial reauthorization into the Trump presidency.
Crawford additionally voted towards a $60.8 billion Ukraine help package deal in 2024, saying in an announcement on the time: “While the entire Western world stands in support of Ukraine’s fight to expel Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion force, I cannot in good faith vote to send billions of dollars in non-military financial aid to Ukraine to prop up its economy when Americans are struggling with rising costs at home.”
Turner, alternatively, has been a robust Republican supporter of help to Ukraine — drawing the ire of Trump-allied, America First conservatives.
Crawford has performed an elevated position on the Intelligence committee in latest weeks.
He led a subcommittee investigation into the origins of the anomalous well being incidents (AHI), often known as Havana syndrome, which were plaguing some within the intelligence neighborhood.
In that evaluation he departed from the conclusion of intelligence leaders, asserting that as international adversary was doubtless behind the assault.
“I’m convinced that there is a foreign adversary responsible for these. … Now to be clear, it doesn’t mean all these incidents that have been reported are attributable to a foreign adversary. It just means that the evidence supports that in many cases,” Crawford instructed reporters final month.
“This is not speculation on my part. This is me telling you we have collected evidence that I can confidently say we can attribute many of these AHI attacks to foreign adversaries.”
In doing so, Crawford was extremely essential of the Biden Administration, criticizing the president for a problem that the county has grappled with since 2016.
However he blamed the White Home each for a failure to take motion and steered they engaged in a canopy up on the subject.
“The Biden Administration and IC leadership has sought to hinder the Subcommittee’s investigation into AHIs to keep the truth about AHIs from Congress and, by extension, the American public,” he stated, utilizing an abbreviation for the intelligence neighborhood.
Throughout the aisle, Democrats wasted no time bashing Johnson’s choice to exchange Turner on the prime of the Intel panel, accusing the Speaker of catering to the desires of Trump on the expense of nationwide safety.
“The Constitution demands that Congress function as a check and balance to the Executive Branch, not cater to its demands,” stated Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the senior Democrat on the committee.
