Sunday Talks – House Intel Chairman Mike Turner Explains How His Team and Intel Community Will Control Speaker Johnson and MAGA Republicans
By Sundance
This interview by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner is buckets of interesting and simultaneously very revealing.
Playing along with the big club intelligence game as framed by Margaret Brennan, HPSCI Chairman Turner showcases his weasel nature and alignment with the worst actors in the Intelligence Community from the outset. Watch it closely and you will notice that Turner frames national intelligence activity as a political product.
Instead of telling Ms Brennan that it is impossible to hold a public hearing on terror threats because her President refuses to declassify the intelligence, thereby limiting conversation to only closed-door hearing discussion, Turner intentionally obfuscates to cloud the issue.
Then the bigger reveals start to happen as Ms. Brennan brings up the fabricated issues around Scott Perry and Ronny Jackson. Brennan says Perry is under FBI investigation (Perry is not and Turner knows he is not), but Turner refuses to say that Perry is not under investigation. Brennan then makes an outlandish claim of Representative Jackson taking perfectly legal medication to help him sleep. Instead of quashing the ridiculous narrative, Turner plays along with the intent to hold leverage over Jackson (think blackmail).
Representative Mike Turner really is one of the worst members of congress. I would rank Turner’s corrupt and Machiavellian status right next to SSCI Chairman Mark Warner. Turner will defend the corrupt IC Deep State even more than Marco Rubio. Remember, it was Turner who manufactured the letter of support for his FISA renewal strategy, falsely attributing supportive signatures of Devin Nunes and John Ratcliffe. If you are good at spotting corruption, WATCH between the lines and the Turner comments shout at you:
[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re going to begin with the Republican Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Ohio Congressman Mike Turner.
Welcome back to Face the Nation.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER (R-Ohio): Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Chair Turner, last week, as you know, there were federal immigration arrests of these eight individuals with suspected ties to ISIS. They were rounded up in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York.
They traveled from Central Asia, Tajikistan, across the southern border into the U.S. Do you have any indication that there is an act of terror plot?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Well, Margaret – I’m – your – I can neither confirm nor deny all the details that you’ve just reported.
But what’s important about these reports and what we’re seeing, especially in conjunction with Director Wray’s public statements that we are at the highest level of a possible terrorist threat, that the administration’s policies have absolutely – you know, directly related to threats to Americans.
These are no longer speculative, no longer hypothetical. And we have actual administration officials stepping forward. And, certainly, our committee and our committee members have concurred on the intelligence that we’re seeing, that, as a result of the administration’s policies allowing people to cross the border unvetted, we have terrorists that are actively working inside the United States that are a threat to Americans.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the issue, as we understand it from our reporting, is that there was vetting, but that the vetting didn’t turn up any derogatory information.
Doesn’t that indicate that there’s a broader problem with the system that Congress would also have to address?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Well, Margaret, as you know, there – there are those who are vetted and – and in the vetting process.
They – there is no evidence the United States currently has that they’re actively engaged in terrorist plotting or engaged with terrorist groups, organizations. And this administration, by their own policy, are then allowing those individuals in, instead of fully vetting them, fully understanding what the risk is to the United States, and for the fact that they’re letting them in, and there they are – they’re entering the United States through the southern border illegally.
And that’s what the threat is. That’s what Director Wray is identifying and is bringing forward. This administration’s policies are directly resulting in people who are in the United States illegally who have ties to terrorist groups and organizations, and this is a threat.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.S. has already been in a heightened threat environment.
But, this past week, our CBS colleague and the former Deputy CIA Director Mike Morell wrote a piece in “Foreign Affairs” warning that the United States faces a serious threat of terrorist attack in the months ahead.
He called on Congressional Intelligence Committees, like the one you chair, to have public hearings with the director of national intelligence, the CIA, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center. Will you commit to doing that?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Well, we have.
In fact, the testimony that you just played of Director Wray…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Public unclassified information from those individuals?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: The – the – the testimony that you just played of Director Wray was a result of the Intelligence Committees, including mine – Director Wray was testifying before my committee and said exactly the same thing publicly of the threat.
What we have done, and continue to do, and what this administration needs to be held to, is that they need to declassify the information of the terrorist threats that they’re seeing, so that there can be a public discourse concerning what the administration’s risk and threats are.
You know, this was notable and expected as a result of the Biden administration’s policy of an open southern border. And we are seeing it absolutely across the country. The – and my – my committee has been open, my members have been open…
MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: … and publicly discussing this threat and pointing the finger directly at the administration’s policies.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, as you know, the administration points back at Congress, saying they asked for more authorities and Congress refused to act.
But I want to ask you about the Intelligence Committee. You’ve tried to keep it nonpartisan, as you’ve said on this program. Speaker Johnson, though, recently decided, as you know, to add two congressmen, Scott Perry and Dr. Ronny Jackson, to your committee, reportedly at the behest of Donald Trump.
One of your members, Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, referred to Perry as a threat to intelligence oversight – quote – “He will be on the very committee that oversees the FBI while he is directly under investigation by this very agency.”
Do you think that is a disqualifying conflict of interest?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Well, being concerned, obviously, about that issue, and being the chairman, I contacted the I.C. to see whether or not there was an issue that, you know, in due diligence from our committee, that we needed to – to resolve or address.
They indicated that there was not an – a – an ongoing or continuing issue or even a current issue that we needed to address.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The FBI told you that?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: The issue, I think, here that’s most important – the I.C. told us that.
I think what’s very important here is that the speaker makes this appointment and then what he’s done since. The speaker has absolutely committed himself to these two individuals following the rules, not only the laws. Both of them have military experience. Both of them have had access to classified information before.
And there’s been no reports of any incidences of their handling – mishandling of classified information. The speaker has met with our committee, Republican members. He has spoken directly to Jim Himes. We’ve had a meeting with Mr. Perry, myself and the speaker, where all of these assurances have been made.
But the speaker has said this, that he’s going to continue to monitor the situation, if there’s any indication of anything improper happening, that he will intervene. And I believe the speaker will assert leadership here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And withdraw that nomination potentially?
Well, look, I – Scott Perry has come out and took aim at you, as you know, because he said, if he gets on this committee, he’ll conduct “actual oversight, not blind obedience to some facets of our intelligence community.”
And he claimed they’re spying on the American people. How do you respond to that?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Well, he has – he has apologized. And, certainly, those are – are the types of words that you would not want from somebody who’s joining a committee that is obviously very dedicated to national security and very dedicated to working in a bipartisan way.
I think that, upon him joining the committee, and looking at the work that both he gets to do and the work that we’re doing, that he’ll be absolutely satisfied that he can play a role to – in the work that we’re doing for national security.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I – I understand you said you’ve – you received assurances about their ability to handle classified information that they’ll have access to.
But, as you know, Dr. Ronny Jackson was demoted by the Navy because a Pentagon inspector general report found that he had been taking sedatives while providing medical care to two U.S. presidents. That kind of compromising behavior would be disqualifying for most people when it comes to receiving a security clearance or having any access to the nation’s secrets.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: I’m aware of those reports.
I – as you have just indicated, though, they are unrelated to the handling of classified information. And, certainly, the individuals in his district believe that those issues are resolved. He presents himself to – to Congress with his military background.
And we’re going to be certainly working with the speaker and with Mr. Jackson so that – again, that he is a very productive member of our committee. And, if there are any incidences, the speaker has indicated that, as with Mr. Perry, that he will enforce our rules.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But there are – these seats could be filled by Republicans with national security backgrounds who don’t have these kinds of compromising situations over their heads.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: There certainly was a broad range of individuals who – who sought these seats.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You were with Donald Trump when he was on Capitol Hill this past week and he met with lawmakers.
Is it true, as Congressman Matt Gaetz claims, that Mr. Trump said “Ukrainians are never going to be there for us” and that he was trashing the Ukraine aid bill to Speaker Johnson’s face, which Gaetz said is – “so epic.”
Is that true? And did anyone push back?
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: I don’t believe that the president – Trump did that. I was certainly present. He did raise issues of how the Ukraine issue is being handled.
I think there’s certainly enough criticism to go around the Ukrainians not being given the authority to use weapons inside Russia to hit targets that are hitting them. But I think, overall, what was important is that – that Trump was very focused on what his issues were as to why he was seeking the presidency and the changes in policies in the Biden administration.
Border was an issue. Energy was an issue. The economy, China and inflation were an issue, all ones where he had real, concrete things that the Biden administration did to reverse his policies that have resulted in negative consequences for our country that he intends to reverse back.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We will see if he stands by Ukraine, then, if he is elected.
Chair Turner, thank you for your time.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: I believe he – I believe he will. And – and, certainly, the – of the members who are strongly supporting Ukraine…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: … we certainly believe that he will, and it certainly is essential.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Chair Turner, thank you for your time this morning.
REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL TURNER: Thank you.
