House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday appointed Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio as ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Turner will take on the role effective Jan. 1.
Turner’s appointment will follow the resignation of Rep. Devin Nunes, who announced earlier this year that he will leave Congress to become the CEO of former President Donald Trump’s new media company. The move sets up Turner to head the panel if Republicans win a House majority in 2022.
In a statement, McCarthy said that Turner’s “commitment to this country is unwavering.”
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“Throughout his long tenure on the Intelligence Committee, Mike established himself as a national security leader and ardent supporter of truth,” McCarthy said. “Mike’s leadership of the committee will continue the great work of Congressman Nunes who has led the committee with integrity. Every American committed to the security and safety of this country should be well-assured of Congressman Turner’s leadership of the House Intelligence Committee.”
Nunes said in a statement that he has “every confidence Mike will be a fearless and skillful leader for Intelligence Committee Republicans and will perform rigorous oversight over the Intelligence Community.”
“I congratulate him on his well-deserved appointment as Ranking Member,” Nunes added.
Turner said in a statement, "The House Intelligence Committee's work is critical to our national security and as the Ranking Member I am committed to supporting the men and women in the Intelligence Community."
"I would like to thank Leader McCarthy for his confidence and I look forward to working with him as we address our nation's security challenges,” Turner added.
By seniority, Turner was next in line on the committee, and he has focused on national security issues during his time in Congress.
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The appointment ends speculation and maneuvering among House Republicans seeking the role after Nunes’s announcement.
The usually low-key committee took on a more partisan flavor during President Donald Trump's time in office. Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, led the first impeachment effort against Trump over improper pressure on the Ukrainian president to dig up political dirt on the son of President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden.
Turner took a starring turn in the impeachment proceedings. At one November hearing, Turner laced into Fiona Hill, who had been a Trump administration Russia adviser.
Hill had testified that “based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country.”
Turner objected to that statement, calling it a “little small” on her part.
“Dr. Hill, you have provided me probably the greatest piece of evidence that’s before us to illustrate the problem with hearsay,” Turner said. “Dr. Hill, no matter how much we believe we know that what we’ve heard is true, it is still just what we’ve heard.”
Turner is a former mayor of Dayton, Ohio, and was first elected to the House in 2002.