Speaker Mike Johnson appointed a relatively unknown MAGA loyalist on Thursday to lead the House Intelligence Committee after he stunned colleagues by ousting the previous chairman—who blamed his firing on Donald Trump.
Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas is now set to take over the powerful committee, which oversees the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA and the FBI.
Crawford—a former Army veteran and rodeo announcer—is a conservative hardliner compared to his predecessor, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio. Crawford voted against certifying the 2020 election results; Turner voted in favor of validating Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump.