Speaking to anchor Jake Tapper on CNN last April, Ohio Republican Mike Turner said that Russian propaganda had "infected" the GOP in a clip that has resurfaced after President-elect Donald Trump had him ousted as House Intelligence Committee chair.
At the time, Turner made it clear that his fellow Republicans were parroting Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine and its relationship with NATO members. That claim came after House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul, who said he thinks "Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base."
Asked by Tapper if he agreed with McCaul's observation, Turner offered a glimpse into this major problem:
“It is absolutely true we see, directly coming from Russia, attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor. There are members of Congress today who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not."
"Vladimir Putin made it very clear both publicly and to his own population that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim to Russia and Eastern Europe. It included claiming all of Ukrainian territories."
"To the extent this propaganda takes hold, it makes it more difficult for us to really see this as an authoritarian versus democracy battle, which is what it is." President Xi of China, Vladimir Putin himself have identified as such."
"We need to stand up for democracy. We need to make certain that we know that authoritarian regimes never stop when they start an aggression. Ukraine needs our help with assistance now and this is a very critical time for the U.S. Congress to step up and provide that aid."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Earlier this week, Turner was let go from the influential chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee, which Turner made clear on his way out was a directive that came directly from Donald Trump.
As reported by CBS News, Turner said Speaker Johnson had cited “concerns from Mar-a-Lago,” Trump’s Florida estate, as the reason for his removal as chair.
Mike Johnson on his decision to remove Rep. Mike Turner as intel chair: “This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision” This is a lie. Turner told CBS News that Johnson cited “concerns from Mar-a-Lago” as justification for the removal
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— Republicans Against Trumpism (@rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social) January 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Of course, when asked directly by reporters whether Trump had urged him to make the change, Johnson denied it:
“This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job.”
But people knew just who to believe and the clip of Turner warning about Russian propaganda recirculated online.
And no one was fooled.
Turner was first appointed as the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee in January 2022, when the GOP was in the House minority. After Republicans regained the majority in November of that year, he was retained as chairman, starting in 2023. Turner has openly advocated for U.S. aid to bolster Ukraine's efforts under Russian occupation.
Though Turner refrained from naming specific members of Congress or his party, his remarks came on the heels of recent tensions stirred by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene had filed a motion to oust Johnson if he proceeded with a Ukraine aid bill.
Greene also expressed frustration over Johnson’s reliance on Democratic support to pass a $1.2 trillion spending bill designed to avert a federal government shutdown.
In February, the Senate approved a $95 billion foreign aid bill, which included funding for Ukraine. However, Johnson has yet to bring the measure to a vote in the House. As of Monday, Greene had not followed through on forcing a vote on her motion to remove Johnson from the speakership.
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