Johnson handed Crawford the gavel Thursday, giving him control of the panel tasked with overseeing the U.S. intelligence community. Crawford is the most senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and was seen as next in line to take over the chairmanship from Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH). 

“Our intelligence community and its oversight must maintain the highest levels of trust. The House Intel Committee will play a pivotal role in this work in the new Congress, and Rick Crawford will provide principled leadership as its chairman,” Johnson said in a statement. “He has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his steady approach to the challenges facing our country.”

The decision comes after Johnson stripped Turner of the gavel, shocking lawmakers in both parties. Johnson did not cite a reason for Turner’s removal, but Turner told CBS News that the speaker cited concerns from Mar-a-Lago as justification. 

Johnson has since pushed back on that assertion, telling reporters Wednesday it was “a House decision” and “not a President Trump decision.” The speaker reiterated that sentiment Thursday when he said he had “nothing but praise” for Turner. 

“It was just time, I thought, to have new leadership for a new time, new season,” Johnson said. 

Notably, Turner was no longer listed as a member of the committee in a roster released by the speaker’s office Thursday.

The change in leadership marks a shift for the Intelligence Committee. Turner ruffled feathers with Trump in the past with his hawkish stance on foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine. Crawford, the incoming chairman, previously voted against providing Ukraine aid. 

Turner also angered members of the intelligence community last year when he called on President Joe Biden to declassify information regarding what he described as “a serious national security threat.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was “surprised” by the move, telling reporters at the time he proactively reached out to him and other top lawmakers to schedule a classified briefing before Turner made the call.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), a Trump ally, accused Turner of using that security warning as a tactic to garner support for the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act last spring. 

“That was obviously to try and press an effort to put pressure on the conference to vote for FISA reauthorization, which obviously, I’m vehemently against, when the FBI admitted to over 287,000 violations of our Fourth Amendment rights. So, this is the Speaker’s choice,” Mills said Thursday. “And so I respect what [Johnson’s] done.”

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who also took issue with Turner, said he wasn’t sure if the episode had any influence over Johnson’s decision, telling the Washington Examiner he was “not sure what all went on behind the scenes.”

“At the end of the day, the Intel Committee works at the leisure of the speaker. The speaker made a call. That’s his prerogative, and the speaker has a different style of managing things,” Ogles said. “Sometimes, for those of us who are impatient and aggressive, that can be aggravating, but that’s the speaker.”

Some Democrats were similarly shocked by the news, with Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-CT) calling the decision dangerous to national security. 

“Mike Turner is dedicated to national security and thoughtful oversight of the IC,” Himes said in a post on X. “His removal makes our nation less secure and is a terrible portent for what’s to come. The Constitution demands Congress function as a check on the Executive Branch, not cater to its demands.”