Well, howdy there, Internet people? It's Bell again. So today, we're going to talk about

intelligence, Trump, Johnson, Mike Turner, and a huge shake-up in the House of Representatives.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has removed Republican Representative Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

Reporting says Trump got personally involved in the decision to remove Turner. The rumor mill says

that Trump basically ordered Johnson to remove him. The House Intelligence Committee is a

critical congressional oversight element and signals yet more erosion of congressional power by the executive branch.

Johnson has denied that Trump made him do it.

The position is part of what is informally known as the gang of aid.

The president is required to keep Congress informed about intelligence activities. However, because of the nature of intelligence work, there are times when information is too sensitive to be fully distributed.

In those instances, the information is shared with eight congressional leaders,

the leaders of the House and Senate from both parties, and the leaders from both parties from the House and the Senate Intelligence Committees.

Because intelligence activities are directed by the president through executive

branch agencies, the president being able to order the removal of a key congressional

intelligence committee leader is something that might ring alarm bells as far as the

separation of powers. The light reporting and rumor mill

says Trump believed Turner was a, quote, deep stater. For the record, the idea of the deep

state would preclude elected officials. Just saying. Representative Jim Himes, who is the top Democrat on the committee

and therefore another gang of eight member, said, quote, I have ice in my spine right now,

because that would totally change the dynamic of oversight. Himes was asked if Turner had upset Trump and said he wasn't the right person to ask,

but did say one of the reasons Heim appreciated Turner's abilities was that he, quote,

was not quick to bend the knee.

At time of recording, there's been no word on who the replacement

...