Crawford named chairman of House intelligence committee

Arkansas Congressman committed to working to bolster security

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

A Jonesboro Republican was named Thursday afternoon to chair a major House committee that deals with national security issues and will have a major role in policy over the next two years.

Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Jonesboro) will serve as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said.

Crawford said he is proud to serve as chairman of the committee.

“I am truly honored to be selected to lead the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson and the incoming Trump Administration team to advance priorities that are important to Americans,” Crawford said.

Crawford, who has served on the committee since 2017, was named chairman of the committee after then-committee chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) was removed as chair.

According to published reports, lawmakers expressed surprise and frustration at Turner’s ouster as chairman.

The committee is expected to discuss many issues in the new Congress, which started this month, as well as President- elect Donald Trump’s agenda involving the intelligence community.

Supporters of Turner have said his role in the extension of a surveillance bill last year and his support of Ukraine in the Russia/Ukraine war may have played a role in the ouster. However, Johnson told the Associated Press on Wednesday he made the decision to remove Turner because the “intelligence committee and everything related to (the committee) needs a fresh start.”

Johnson told NBC News Thursday afternoon that he believes Crawford, who was first elected in 2010, will provide a key leadership role on the committee.

“Our intelligence community and its oversight must maintain the highest level 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 to NBC. “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 committee was created in 1977 and handles the oversight of the nation’s intelligence community, including the CIA, Office of Director of National Intelligence, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, all branches of the military and the DEA, among other agencies and departments, according to the committee’s website.

Before being named chairman, Crawford was the senior Republican on the panel, served as chairman of the CIA subcommittee and served on the Legislative and Oversight Responsibilities subcommittee.

In addition to Crawford, Rep.

French Hill (R-Little Rock) also serves on the committee, which meets in the basement of the Capitol and traveling around the world on intelligence, fact-finding trips.

As for the future, Crawford said he wants to work on several key issues. “Since joining the Committee in 2017, I have witnessed firsthand that abuse within our nation’s security apparatus has eroded trust in our institutions and compromised America’s ability to gather intelligence. As Chairman, I will aggressively uphold our mandate to provide credible and robust oversight of the Intelligence Community’s funding and activities. Without aggressive oversight and vigorous protection of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights, the IC is prone to give in to mission creep and skirt U.S. laws. In all our work, I pledge to preserve Americans’ constitutional rights even as we work to support the IC in doing everything required to collect indispensable information from our foreign adversaries,” Crawford said.

The congressman also said he wants to look at intelligence issues over the past few years and into the future as well.

“This Congress has an opportunity to course-correct from the Biden administration’s failures, promote commonsense peace through strength, and re-focus our nation’s intelligence and counterintelligence community against our adversaries. Right now, terrorists, rogue regimes, and foreign state-actors are rapidly developing new ways to exploit and harm America’s national interests, and it’s our responsibility to ensure intelligence agencies remain three steps ahead of our enemies.

And now, more than ever, leaks and indiscretions by misguided intelligence staff can endanger Americans and

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BOOZMAN CRAWFORD

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hinder our ability to predict and prevent attacks.

Everyone on the Committee and within the IC must be devoted to secrecy regarding the material we review. The lives of our covert agents in the field, and the security of our homeland, depend on it,” Crawford said.

“The Committee has a unique opportunity to work toward rebuilding our intelligence apparatus so that our IC is focused on the challenges of today and is prepared for the threats of tomorrow. It is our aim to rebuild relationships with our partners in the Western Hemisphere, address issues with the development of IC assessments, determine which intelligence tools are needed to protect Americans, and provide our brave men and women in the U.S. intelligence services with the support they need.

In our age of increasing threats from abroad and bloated bureaucracy at home, the Committee will be committed to preventing enemies’ attacks and upholding the privacy rights of all American citizens.”

Crawford, who also serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, also thanked Turner for his work on the committee.

“I want to thank Chairman Turner for his work in the 118th Congress. He led our committee ably and admirably, at a time when there was a distinct need for a steady hand. He is a valued member of our Conference, and I will build from the solid base his leadership provided this committee,” the congressman said.

Arkansas Delegation

Several members of the state’s congressional delegation also serve as committee chairs or are expected to play key roles in the new Congress.

In addition to Crawford and Hill serving on the House Intelligence Committee, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) serves as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee as well.

Hill also chairs the House Financial Services Committee, while Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs) serves as the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Rep. Steve Womack (RRogers) also serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies, or THUD, subcommittee.

In the Senate, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

The committee’s main focus this year will be getting approval for a new Farm Bill, which is set to expire Sept. 30.