Liam Conner
Washington – Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that he expects Chairman Mike Johnson to intervene if any “improper” behavior occurs after the president named two controversial Trump allies to the committee.
“He will continue to monitor the situation,” Turner said Sunday of Johnson on “Face the Nation,” adding that “if there is any indication of anything inappropriate going on,” he expects “the speaker to take the lead here.”
Johnson appointed two hard-line Republicans, Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Ronny Jackson of Texas, to the powerful House Intelligence Committee earlier this month. The move quickly provoked backlash, as some consider the two lawmakers’ tarnished records to represent disqualifying conflicts of interest with the committee that has strong influence on national security and foreign policy.
Still, Turner, an Ohio Republican, said the intelligence community indicated there was no ongoing or current problem that needed to be resolved. And he noted that the speaker, who said he met with the committee, “was absolutely committed to these two individuals following the rules.”
CBS News
“Both have military experience, both have had access to classified information before, and there have been no reports of any incidents of mishandling of classified information,” Turner added.
Jackson, a former White House doctor, was demoted by the Navy in 2022 after a Pentagon surveillance investigation substantiated allegations of inappropriate conduct. The report detailed two incidents in which Jackson inappropriately used alcohol while responsible for providing medical care and treatment to former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, along with allegations that he belittled subordinates.
Perry, the former leader of the House Freedom Caucus, had his phone seized in 2022 by the FBI as part of an investigation into the effort to overturn the 2020 election. Perry took aim at the committee in a statement following his appointment, saying he hopes to “conduct real oversight — not blind obedience to some facet of our Commonwealth Intel who often abuse their powers, resources, and authority to spy on the American People.”
Turner said Perry apologized, although he noted that “those are the kinds of words you wouldn’t want from someone who is joining a committee that is obviously very dedicated to national security and very dedicated to working in a bipartisan way.” He added that by joining the committee, he hopes Perry will be “absolutely pleased to be able to play a role as well in the work that we are doing for national security.”
Regarding Jackson, Turner said the reports were “not related to the handling of confidential information.” noting his military background and saying that his voters “believe these issues are resolved.”
“We will certainly work with the Speaker and Mr. Jackson to once again be a very productive member of our committee,” Turner said. “And if there are any incidents, the speaker indicated that, as with Mr. Perry, he will enforce our rules.”
CBS News has reached out to Perry and Jackson’s offices for comment.
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