GOP colleague accuses Turner of ‘reckless disregard,’ asks for formal inquiry

A House Republican is calling for an inquiry into House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio), saying his vague call to declassify a national security threat was done with “reckless disregard.”

Turner on Wednesday called on President Biden to declassify intelligence on a “serious national security threat,” writing it was needed “so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.” 

But Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) on Thursday accused Turner of having ulterior motives, citing the battle over both funding for Ukraine and a bill to reauthorize the nation’s warrantless spy powers — each of which has raised some Republican opposition.

“This revelation by the chairman was done with a reckless disregard of the implications and consequences said information would have on geopolitics, domestic and foreign markets, and the well-being and psyche of the American people,” Ogles wrote in a letter first reported by Punchbowl.

“In hindsight, it has become clear that the intent was not to ensure the safety of our homeland and the American people, but rather to ensure additional funding for Ukraine and passage of an unreformed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA.) This act constituted poor judgment at a minimum and a complete breach of trust influenced by the pursuit of a political agenda at the maximum.”

Ogles said Turner’s actions “revealed to the American people an imminent and perhaps existential threat to the United States of America.”

The Tennessee Republican has not yet gone to review the information that is available to all lawmakers, telling Politico he “chose not to look at the classified information” so that he “can discuss the classified information.”

Reporting indicates the intelligence Turner was concerned about dealt with Russian nuclear capabilities in space as related to American satellites.

Turner’s office did not directly address Ogles’s complaints about his but defended his decision to more broadly release the classified information to members of Congress, something done with approval of the committee as well as the White House.

“The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence worked in consultation with the Biden Administration to notify Congress of this national security threat,” Turner said.

“In addition, language in the bipartisan notification issued by the Chair and Ranking Member to all Members of the House was cleared by the Administration prior to its release. The House Intelligence Committee voted 23 to 1 to make this information available to Members of Congress. White House officials confirmed that, in their view, the matter was ‘serious’.”

But the chair has become increasingly isolated in his quest to release the information to the public, with other lawmakers failing to echo his push for its declassification.

Several other leaders in Congress stressed that while alarming, the information Turner was referring to did not require immediate action and said no threat was imminent.

Intelligence ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) held back criticism of Turner on Wednesday but said, “Thanks, Mike,” when a reporter noted the panic being caused by the statement.

“Look, Mike is right to highlight this issue. But it’s so sensitive that [we’re] right now not publicly discussing. And I don’t want people thinking that, you know, Martians are landing or that your Wednesday is going to be ruined. But it’s something that the Congress, the administration does need to address in the medium-to-long run,” Himes said.

And Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also sought to quell alarm after Turner’s statement.

“I saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue and I want to assure the American people, there is no need for public alarm,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday. “We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified.”

“We just want to assure everyone: Steady hands are at the wheel, we’re working on it, and there’s no need for alarm,” he added.

Senate Intelligence officials also downplayed the immediacy, saying they had been “rigorously tracking this issue from the start.”

“The Senate Intelligence Committee has the intelligence in question, and has been rigorously tracking this issue from the start,” Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) and ranking member Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a joint statement.

“We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration,” they wrote. “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.”

Ogles noted that Turner leads the Intelligence panel at the behest of Johnson.

“As the Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence is solely appointed by the Speaker and under your direct purview, should the Chairman retain his post, you have a duty and an obligation to reassure this body (Congress) and the American people that the processes of the Intelligence Committee have not been corrupted by the very institutions they are charged with monitoring,” Ogles wrote.

“It is with great reticence that I formally request an inquiry as to any impact the Chairman’s statements may have had on U.S. foreign and domestic policy.”

Updated at 3:46 p.m.