Speaker stuns House by ousting Intel panel chair

Johnson denies the move was ordered by Trump

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for January 16, 2025:

• The question that no Republican wants to answer.

• Trump's Treasury pick goes before Senators.

• Sworn in as a Senator on Tuesday, absent on Wednesday.

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SHAKEUP. In a move that sent shockwaves through the Capitol last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson ousted one of the strongest Republican supporters of Ukraine and NATO in the U.S. House, removing Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Turner told CBS News that the Speaker indicated that 'concerns from Mar-a-Lago' drove the decision.

• JOHNSON. Leaving the Capitol last night, Speaker Johnson denied that Donald Trump had pressed for Turner's ouster. "This is not a President Trump decision, this is a House decision," the Speaker told reporters. "I'm a Mike Turner friend," Johnson added, saying the committee simply needed a 'fresh start.'

• MAGA. A former Mayor of Dayton, Ohio, Turner is not a MAGA Republican. He hews to an old-style GOP philosophy based on a strong military, support for NATO, and anti-Kremlin views. At one point in 2024, Turner basically accused fellow Republicans of spreading Russian propaganda about Ukraine.

• KYIV. In his role as Intelligence panel chair, Turner visited Ukraine twice last year to showcase support for American military aid to Kyiv and for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "There's overwhelming support in the House of Representatives and in the Senate for support for Ukraine," Turner said in February 2024.

OUSTER. Last year, some conservatives had openly called on Speaker Johnson to remove Turner, angered by his vague warning about a national security threat from Russia. Led by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), they accused Turner of leaking the information in a bid to rally support for an extension of certain foreign intelligence surveillance powers.

• LEOPARDS. In the past two years, Turner had repeatedly carried water for Trump in TV interviews, attacking President Biden, Democrats, and the FBI. When classified documents were found at Mar-a-Lago, Turner labeled it more of ‘a bookkeeping issue than a national security threat.’ His reward was to be thrown overboard.

• FEARS. Democrats were horrified by Turner's ouster, fearing that it was the start of a wave of Trump-led reprisals against the intelligence community. "His removal makes our nation less secure and is a terrible portent for what’s to come," said Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.

• NEW CHAIR. Speaker Johnson is expected to announce his replacement for Turner today. All appointments to the Intelligence Committee are made by the Speaker.

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CABINET. Wall Street will be listening closely today as President-elect Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, South Carolina hedge fund billionaire Scott Bessent, goes before a Senate panel. It's one of four hearings today on Capitol Hill for prospective Cabinet officials in the Trump Administration.

• ECONOMIC POLICY. Bessent is sure to be quizzed about Trump's economic plans in a second term - whether that deals with tax cuts, budget cuts, tariffs, or trade policy. "Scott understands the importance of building on the pro-growth policies of President Trump’s first term," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT).

• TARIFFS. If there is one major Trump policy which hardly gets talked about by Republicans in Congress - it's his threat of massive increases in tariffs. If you do a simple search of tweets by GOP lawmakers with the keyword 'tariff' - you would never know that Trump is talking about giant tariff hikes, which could mean higher prices for American consumers.

• DEBT LIMIT. Another possible focus at today’s hearing is the need to raise the nation's debt limit, which must happen in the next few months. House GOP leaders have already made clear that doing that with only Republican votes might be difficult - we'll see what Bessent has to say about the debt ceiling.

• IMMIGRATION. You might not think that Trump's deportation plans would come up in this hearing - but Bessent has opened the door with his own comments. "I've been working on a plan for 'financial deportation,’" Bessent told Fox News in November, talking about restricting money sent by migrants back to their families.

HEARINGS. Other Cabinet hearings today include ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) for EPA chief, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary, and a second day of hearings with Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi.

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JAN. 6 PARDONS. One of the more interesting items to come from Wednesday's hearing with Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney General, was her answer about pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. Instead of pardons for everyone prosecuted by the feds, Bondi seemed to embrace the idea that pardons might only go to non-violent actors.

• Q&A. "You don't like people who beat up cops," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has urged Trump not to pardon any rioters who attacked police officers on Jan. 6. "Correct," said Bondi. "I'm not going to speak for the President (Trump), but the President does not like people that abuse police officers, either."

• CASE-BY-CASE. Pressed by Democrats on the same issue, Bondi would only say that she would urge Trump to weigh pardons on a case-by-case basis - and not to hand them out to everyone. There were a lot of people who brutally attacked police that day. We'll see what Trump does.

• THE QUESTION. Bondi refused multiple times to answer the simple question of whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. That's the question that almost no Republican will answer - because truthfully acknowledging that Trump lost is still not an acceptable answer for the President-elect.

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FAREWELL ADDRESS. President Biden used his final speech from the Oval Office to warn against billionaires and the wealthy taking charge of the nation. It was perceived by Republicans as an attack on both Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

• BIDEN. "Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy of basic rights and freedom and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead," Biden said.

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LAKEN RILEY. After treading water for two days, the Senate finally took a step forward Wednesday on the Laken Riley bill, holding votes on one amendment from each party. But with no deal on a final vote on that illegal immigration bill, Senate Republicans filed cloture on the bill, which would force a final vote no later than next week.

• AMENDMENT. The bill's original goal was to require the feds to detain illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, named for a Georgia woman killed by a migrant who had not been kept in jail by police. But Senators voted 75-20 to also cover migrants who cause harm to law enforcement officers.

• TIME. I've written before about how the Senate rarely takes time to legislate. You've seen why this week. Unless the Senate can get a time agreement, the floor debate can stretch for days and days. In this case, it's possible that the Senate could approve the bill early next week.

• GOP. "We will push for votes on amendments that make this bill even stronger," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. "We're going to have an amendment process here on the floor, the type of amendment process that's been lacking in recent years," he added.

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BUCKEYE. It's been a week now since Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned from the Senate. And that seat is still vacant. Gov. Mike DeWine - a former Senator himself - could snap his fingers and fill the seat instantly, because he gets to make the pick himself. But so far, it hasn't happened, which has left the Senate with 99 members.

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NOT VOTING. Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) was finally sworn in on Tuesday, 11 days after the 119th Congress convened. On his second day of work in the Senate, Justice missed both Senate floor votes. (I was told by a number of people that Justice would likely have attendance issues as a Senator. That seems like an accurate tip.)

• HOUSE SIDE. Across the Capitol, Rep. Raul Grijalva D-AZ was here on Jan. 3 for the first quorum call and the vote for Speaker. Grijalva has missed every House vote since then. The Arizona Democrat missed most votes last year because of cancer treatments. He is not running for reelection in 2026.

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INAUGURAL PREP. The work continues to secure Capitol Hill and get the stage ready for next Monday's inaugural. It's hard to describe how much fencing is going up around the Capitol - it's literally everywhere in the nation's capital from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and down to the Lincoln Memorial.

• CAPITOL. Workers are busy installing all sorts of checkpoints for those attending the ceremony - all while Capitol Hill staffers are still trying to do their jobs. I saw how one big delivery truck backed up yesterday on Pennsylvania Avenue and crushed the rear end of a car parked in the spaces for staffers.

• SECURITY. Like a political convention, it always seems like there are haphazard decisions made about security. As I was walking back to the Capitol yesterday through one of the tunnels, the police stopped me for a hand-held metal detector check. But in other tunnels to the Capitol, that wasn't repeated.

• CREDENTIALS. It's Thursday, and we still don't know when we will get our special press credentials allowing us to get into the Capitol for the inaugural ceremonies on Monday. It won't surprise me if there is a sudden announcement on Sunday that those press passes are available.

OUTSIDE. How can you tell the inaugural is almost here? (Other than all of the porta johns.) Workers on Wednesday installed the final of the five ceremonial U.S. flags on the West Front. Reagan was the first to hold inaugurals on this side of the Capitol back in 1981. Before that, the East Front was used.

WEATHER. The biggest concern about next Monday may be the weather. There is the chance of ice and/or snow on Sunday - maybe continuing into Monday - with temperatures dropping into teens, plus strong winds. The last time an outdoor inaugural was canceled because of the cold was in 1985 (Reagan’s second).

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RAP SHEET. An Indiana man who fled to Canada rather than serve 9 months in jail for Jan. 6 charges, has now been arrested north of the border. Anthony Vo was found guilty back in 2023 of a series of misdemeanors. He brought his mother to Washington, D.C. for Jan. 6, telling friends that they 'stormed' the Capitol.

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MUSE OF HISTORY. January 16, 1902. The Senate on this date approved a House-passed resolution to hold a service to pay tribute to the late President McKinley, who was assassinated while the Congress was out of session. "Whereas the melancholy event of the violent and tragic death of William McKinley late President of the United States, having occurred during the recess of Congress, and the two Houses sharing in the general grief and desiring to manifest their sensibility upon the occasion of the public bereavement," the measure stated.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House meets at 9 am.

The Senate convenes at 12 noon.

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