Speaker Johnson appoints Trump loyalists to Intelligence Committee, pulling panel rightward

[edhopper]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-johnson-appoints-trump-loyalists-intelligence-committee-pullin-rcna155741

Johnson tapped Reps. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Ronny Jackson, R-Tex., to fill two vacant seats on the all-important House committee, which regularly deals with sensitive national security information. Both men have strong ties to former President Donald Trump.

Perry is the former head of the rabble-rousing House Freedom Caucus who was a central figure in efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss. The FBI seized Perry’s phone in 2022 as part of an investigation into those efforts. At the end of last year, a judge ordered Perry to turn over cell phone records and disclose thousands of documents to government investigators as part of their probe into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the events that preceded it. A lawyer for Perry previously told NBC News that the Republican had an “obligation” to investigate concerns about the 2020 election, which Trump lost.
Jackson is a former White House physician who served in the Trump and Obama administrations but was ultimately demoted after reports of “inappropriate conduct” during that time. An Inspector General’s review found Jackson took the sedative Ambien while working as a physician at the White House, and that he made sexual comments to colleagues and mistreated subordinates. He remains an outspoken ally of Trump.

Not only is Perry a traitor and Jackson a drunk. But there is every reason to believe they are both in Putin's pocket. It is very scary that no one is doing anything about Russia having access to our secrets. It's like if he don't look to hard, it won't happen.
I have no idea why there has been no investigations, by a government agency or a News organization into how compromised some of these Republicans are.

Between this and the Rightwing Courts making sure Trump will not stand trial again, I feel we are watching our country being taken from us.
I hope with all my heart we win in November, but I don't think it will be a level playing field. And no one is talking about what is happening.

Sorry all, too much bad news lately.

[617Blue]

1. These people can't be trusted with nat sec intel.

[triron]

7. No wonder NATO allies are so anxious.

Republican vermin need to be exterminated from the planet.

[Turbineguy]

2. The FBI, CIA and NSA can work on their dossiers.

And arrest them if and when the time comes.

[edhopper]

4. They can?

but are they. Nothing was done when dozens of operatives around the world were killed when Trump was in office.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/575384-cia-admits-to-losing-dozens-of-informants-around-the-world-nyt/

[OldBaldy1701E]

3. I'm sorry... Perry and Jackson are on the Intelligence Committee?

Isn't that like putting two angry horses in an operating room during open heart surgery?

Does the word 'intelligence' even apply to those two?

[edhopper]

5. No

but "traitor" does.

[OldBaldy1701E]

12. Hear! Hear! (n/t)

[Martin68]

6. Republican traitors, placing the Trump Cult ahead of country. If history survives, it will not treat them well.

[Deep State Witch]

8. They Couldn't Get A Security Clearance

I had a security clearance for 34 years. Neither of those two morons could get one if they had to go through normal channels. Perry because he's under investigation, and Jackson because he's a pill pusher. Yet here we are.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. Is Pervy Mike trolling us or has he received orders from traitortrump?

[edhopper]

11. More likely

Putin

[B.See]

10. Just the first of MANY ways that MAGA fascists

will install Trump LOYALISTS AND SYCOPHANTS at all stages of government, society, and the judiciary.

It will be WORSE than however bad you think it can get.

Especially for the gays, Blacks, Latinos, Muslims, women etc. etc. FOR TRUMP.

They're in for a rude aWAKEning.

[Evolve Dammit]

13. Second in line is a Nazi terrorist with a smarmy facade. The evil looms large on this one. There are many.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

14. Speaker Johnson faces blowback after following Trump's directive

Donald Trump demanded that unqualified loyalists to have access to many of the nation’s most sensitive secrets. House Speaker Mike Johnson acquiesced.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/speaker-johnson-faces-blowback-trumps-directive-rcna156068

Members of the House Intelligence Committee made it painfully clear to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he needed to choose responsibly when filling two vacancies on the panel. The Intelligence Committee has made a deliberate effort to steer clear of partisan food fights lately, and it feared that Johnson would screw this up by imposing rabid ideologues on the panel.....

This week, Johnson nevertheless named Perry and Jackson to the House Intelligence Committee.

Democrats were not pleased. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, for example, called the appointments “a disgrace and a threat to national security.”

But they weren’t alone. The New York Times reported that the House speaker didn’t even bother to give a heads-up to Rep. Mike Turner, the House Intelligence Committee’s Republican chairman, and PunchBowl News reported that Johnson’s move “is causing angst across the Capitol,” adding, “Several members of the committee — Republicans and Democrats — say they worry about the integrity of the panel in the wake of Johnson’s appointment of the pair.”.....

So, why in the world did the House speaker choose two unqualified extremists for the House Intelligence Committee, even after the panel’s members urged him not to? PunchBowl News’ report added this gem:

Johnson told fellow Republican lawmakers and aides that he made the appointments at the behest of Trump, who wanted Jackson and Perry on the panel.

Oh. So, Donald Trump wanted unqualified loyalists to have access to many of the nation’s most sensitive and highly classified secrets, and the House speaker followed the felon’s directive, as if he were an employee of the failed former president instead of Congress’ most powerful member......

And finally, there are broader consequences to keep in mind. The Times’ report added, “The panel has historically operated in a bipartisan manner, and is largely composed of serious-minded lawmakers rather than strident partisans. The break with tradition prompted fears that the intelligence community might pull back on the sensitive national security information it shares with Congress.”

It’s not surprising that Trump wouldn’t care, but Johnson has a responsibility to take such concerns seriously. This week, he failed spectacularly at a basic task.