House Speaker appoints two Trump allies to a committee overseeing US spy agencies
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday appointed two far-right Republicans to the powerful House Intelligence Committee, positioning two close allies of Donald Trump who were working to overturn the 2020 presidential election on a panel that receives sensitive classified briefings and monitors the work of the US spy services.
The appointments of GOP representatives. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Ronnie Jackson of Texas to the House Intelligence Committee were announced on the House floor Wednesday. Johnson, a hardline conservative from Louisiana who has aligned himself with Trump, replaced spots on the committee opened after the resignations of Republican Reps. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Chris Stewart of Utah.
Committee spots have typically been awarded to lawmakers with a background in national security and who have won respect across the aisle. But the replacements by two of Trump’s close allies come at a time when Johnson has signaled his willingness to use them the full force of the House in support of Trump’s bid to reclaim the Oval Office. It also gives the far-right faction in the House of Representatives two coveted spots on a committee that handles the country’s secrets and has enormous influence over the direction of foreign policy.
Trump has long exhibited hostile and flippant views of the U.S. intelligence community, flouting safeguards for classified information and directly bashing law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. The former president faces 37 felonies for improperly storing sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities at his Florida estate, repeatedly enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide data requested by investigators, and arrogantly flaunting a Pentagon “plan of attack” and a secret card.
Johnson has not released a statement about his choices for the committee.
Perry, former chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, was ordered by a federal judge handed over more than 1,600 text messages and emails last year to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep Trump in power. his 2020 election loss and illegally blocking the transition of power to Democrat Joe Biden.
Perry is personal cell phone was also seized by federal authorities who have investigated his role in helping to install an acting attorney general who would be receptive to Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Perry and other conservatives have pushed Congress to do so, too to curtail important U.S. government oversight tool. They want to limit the FBI’s ability to use the program to search for U.S. data.
“I look forward to not only providing a fresh perspective, but also providing real oversight – not blind obedience to some facets of our Intel community who too often abuse their power, resources and authority to harm the American people.” to spy,” Perry said. a statement.
Jackson, who was elected to the House in 2020, was previously a top White House doctor under former Presidents Barack Obama and Trump. Known for his exaggerated statements about Trump’s health, Jackson was nominated by Trump to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
He withdrew his appointment amid allegations of professional misconduct. A internal investigation at the Ministry of Defense later concluded that Jackson made “sexual and derogatory” comments about a female subordinate, violated policies against drinking alcohol during a presidential trip, and used prescription sleeping medications that raised concerns among his colleagues about his ability to receive proper medical care grant.
Jackson has denied these allegations, describing them as politically motivated.
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol also sought testimony from Jackson in investigating lawmakers’ meetings at the White House, direct conversations with Trump as he tried to challenge his election loss and the planning and coordination of meetings. Jackson refused to testify.
The presence of Jackson and Perry on the committee could damage trust between the president and the committee in handling classified information, said Ira Goldman, a former Republican congressional staffer who worked as an adviser to the Intelligence Committee in the 1970s and 1980s.
He said, “You’re giving members seats on the committee when, based on the public record, they couldn’t get a security clearance if they came in through any other door.”