Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) has reportedly been ousted from his post as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, leaving a top Democrat on the panel concerned over who will be tapped to replace him.
Speaking to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace as the reports were announced, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) confirmed he had heard similar reports before his interview.
"I have worked in very close partnership with Mike Turner, and while we disagree on some things, as you might expect between a Democrat and a Republican, I have the highest regard for his commitment both to the truth, to doing good oversight, and to his bipartisan bonafides," said Himes.
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"I would regard that as a very, very serious thing because, again, I'll be ranking member of the Intelligence Committee in charge of oversight of all the things that you just asked me about, I won't be chairman. The chairman will be absolutely essential in that role," said Himes. "And if the speaker has, in fact, removed Mike Turner, I'm very, very concerned about who may replace him."
The incoming Trump administration has been working in partnership with Johnson to ensure his loyalists chair committees. Thus, the Trump team could see Turner's oversight as an impediment to that end.
See the comments from Himes below or at the link here.
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