U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee who has been an outspoken supporter of assistance for Ukraine.
Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) told reporters on January 15 that Representative Mike Turner (Republican-Ohio) would no longer lead the committee, which oversees the nation's intelligence agencies.
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Johnson said he made the decision because the “intelligence community and everything related to [the committee] needs a fresh start.”
He said it was not connected to President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on January 20.
"This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job,” Johnson said.
Turner, who served as chairman of the committee since 2023, contradicted Johnson’s explanation, telling U.S. broadcaster CBS that Johnson cited "concerns from Mar-a-Lago" -- Trump's Florida estate.
He said on X he was honored to have served on the committee, saying that under his leadership the integrity of the committee had been restored and its mission returned to its core focus of national security.
Beyond his vocal support for aid to Ukraine, Turner held other views that were at odds with Trump and pushed back when Trump made false claims last year during the presidential election campaign about Haitian migrants in his district eating pets.
Johnson, who has aligned himself closely with Trump, said Turner would play an important role in working with NATO. He said Turner's successor would be announced on January 16.
The chairman of the committee is among eight congressional leaders who are briefed on classified intelligence matters.