House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) on Friday called for the removal of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) over his efforts to scuttle government surveillance reform.
Good told Just the News:
I do not think he should remain as chairman. I don’t think he should remain as chairman because of what he’s trying to do to reauthorize FISA without the appropriate reforms to protect the American people in terms of their, again, most precious basic constitutional rights. We have a constitution that limits what government can do.
He added, “The position of the Intelligence Committee is in direct contradiction to that; direct violation of that. We’ve seen it abused ever since FISA was first put into place and with growing frequency.”
Good is the latest congressman to call for the ouster of Turner for his controversial overhyping of the alleged Russia threat.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said Turner should be removed for his “political stunt”; the Arizona congressman said Turner tried to stop efforts to rein in “warrantless government surveillance.” Biggs is the primary sponsor of the House Judiciary Committee-advanced Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, a bill that would reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and stop other surveillance abuses.
Biggs wrote:
Chairman Mike Turner should lose his job over his political stunt this week. His cryptic statements caused the markets to crash and created unnecessary panic. This stunt conveniently occurred during the week we wanted to curtail warrantless government surveillance.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)
Bipartisan privacy groups have also called for Turner’s ouster.
FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon, Due Process Institute Director Jason Pye, Demand Progress Policy Director Sean Vitka, and Restore the Fourth National Chair Alex Marthews signed a letter to Turner on Friday, calling on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to remove Turner. They said that his actions have “undermined your credibility, your committee, and national security.”
Addressing themselves to Turner, they wrote:
The near-panic you caused by exploiting this potential future threat for immediate political gain is beneath a Member of Congress, and in particular the committee you currently lead, which was formed to rein in — not be a mouthpiece for — warrantless domestic spying. This week is the culmination of months of bad-faith tactics that collectively demonstrate you should not continue as Chairman.
Now, bipartisan lawmakers have called for Johnson to hold a vote to reauthorize Section 702 while bringing in key reforms.
Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Biggs, Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Ben Cline (R-VA) said in a statement, “We have demonstrated a willingness to consider other legislation to reauthorize Section 702, provided that Members have an opportunity to vote on whether the government should end warrantless surveillance on Americans and stop circumventing the Fourth Amendment by purchasing sensitive information on Americans from third parties.”
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House Committee on the Judiciary / YouTubeSean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
