The MeidasTouch Podcast - GOP House BLOWS ITSELF UP as MAGA Mike FIRES Top Member

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on House Republicans have been thrown into turmoil after Trump ordered that GOP Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner be fired and MAGA Mike Johnson quickly carried out the order. Uplift Desk: Elevate your workspace and energize your year with Uplift Desk. Go to https://upliftdesk.com/meidas for a special offer exclusive to our audience. Visit https://meidastouch.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Mike Turner was a fierce opponent of Vladimir Putin and Russia and a big supporter and proponent of Ukraine. Mike Turner also spoke his mind about the Russian propaganda that infected many of the MAGA Republicans. So he has been fired from his position. He's been a member of Congress since 2003. Ohio's third congressional district became Ohio's 10th congressional district in the Dayton area. That's his congressional district. CNN was the first to report it along with Punchbowl, rather. And here's what we learned. House Speaker Mike Johnson is removing House GOP Representative Mike Turner as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Manu Raju explained Jim Himes, top Democrat, the ranking member on the House Intel Committee,

just told a group of us that removing Turner, quote, sends a shiver down my spine and that he is enormously concerned. Said Turner isn't the kind of guy who was quick to, quote, bend the knee to Trump and kept his eye on the prize of oversight and trying to protect our country from Russian propaganda. That's why Donald Trump ordered MAGA Mike to get rid of Mike Turner. Again, someone who's had a very successful career, someone who's very qualified, someone who didn't bend the knee, although he spoke in favor of Donald Trump. If you watched him before, you would see that he would still say things that are favorable to Donald Trump because he had to, but generally viewed as someone who was at least competent and qualified. So a bad sign that he is gone. We'll see who

replaces him. As Melanie Zanona says, Trump was a big factor here. What we're actually hearing was Trump was the factor. People in Trump's orbit thought Turner was too close to the intelligence agencies and others didn't like how Turner was handling a lot of issues, including the fact that Turner was pro-Ukraine and pro-NATO. Norman Ornstein says, I will reserve judgment on Mike Johnson and the intelligence committee until we see who he picks for its chair. But I can say now that no one is more happy by this than Vladimir Putin, because Turner on the Intelligence Committee was a check against Putin. So Donald Trump doing Putin's bidding right here. Margaret Brennan reports the following.

I spoke with House Intel Chair Mike Turner, who told me that Speaker Johnson fired him as chair of the committee overseeing the intelligence community. Johnson cited, quote, concerns from Mar-a-Lago as justification for firing Mike Turner from being the chair of the intelligence committee. Representative Jim Himes tells CBS that it sent a shiver down his spine, which I just read. As Andrew Desiderio writes, Wilde, Turner is one of the biggest Ukraine supporters among Republicans on the Hill

and is also very involved with NATO. Much more hawkish than Trump-aligned ours would like. Hawkish meaning he believes that Russia should not invade a sovereign country of Ukraine the way Donald Trump is threatening Greenland and Panama and saying he wants to annex Canada. Let me show you this from last year where Mike Turner went on CNN and basically said that some of his House GOP colleagues had become useful idiots for Putin and Ukraine. Let's play it. Let's turn to Ukraine, an issue that's important to you and your fellow Republican chairman,

Michael McCaul, who runs the Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman McCaul made a comment this week about what he says sounds like Russian propaganda from some conservative media and why it's so difficult to explain to Republican voters why supporting Ukraine is important. He told Julia Yaffe, quote, I think Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it's infected a good chunk of my party's base. He singled out primetime shows on conservative channels. Do you agree with him? And how big is this problem? Oh, it is absolutely true. We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that

are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor. I mean, there are members of Congress today who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not. Vladimir Putin having made it very clear, both publicly and to his own population, that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim of Russia to Eastern Europe, including claiming all of Ukraine territory as Russia's. Now, to the extent that this propaganda takes hold, it makes it more difficult for us to really see this as an authoritarian versus democracy battle, which is what it is. President Xi of China, Vladimir Putin himself have identified it as such. We need to stand up for democracy. We need to make certain that we know that authoritarian regimes never stop when they start in aggression. Ukraine needs our help and assistance now, and this is a very critical time for the U.S. Congress to step up and provide that aid. Now, here is Mike Turner talking about Tulsi Gabbard, that he does not think that she was

someone who should be appointed to a significant cabinet position, certainly not the director of national intelligence. But he goes on to say that he trusts the Senate process. Watch this. Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman, former Democrat, now Republican to be the director of national intelligence, overseeing 18 intelligence agencies. She not only went and met with Assad, she publicly doubted high confidence assessments by U.S. intelligence that he did what we showed you pictures of him doing, using chemical weapons there. Do you trust that she could actually represent the intelligence community, lead it, and be trusted to brief the commander-in-chief? Well, I obviously differ in a great deal in a number of areas with both her judgment and her background and experience. But what I do trust is the Senate process.

And I think the senators are going to put her through a process. She has been nominated. She will go through the process. And I think there'll be significant debate and evaluation. I think that Donald Trump has put together in his last term, and I think he will in this term, a great national security team. I think CIA Director Radcliffe, I think Mike Waltz as national security director are both great examples of people who are going to be foundational. I think we're going to see a great national security team. Well, this is a community that you also have oversight of,

so you may not vote in the Senate, but it sounds like she doesn't have your confidence. Muscles are vital for movement and play a key role in supporting the vascular system. The calves, often called the second heart, help pump blood against gravity, aiding circulation throughout the body. By using a standing desk and incorporating movement accessories, you are more likely to engage these muscles, promoting improved blood flow and overall health. If you work in front of a desk like I do, you've probably experienced the frustration of sitting for long periods. I seriously thought this would be a lasting problem until I discovered this episode's sponsor, Uplift Desk. Uplift Desk is at the forefront of ergonomic solutions, promoting better posture and health through

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Honestly, you just either you got to leave Congress if you're not going to fight the guy. Honestly, you just either, you got to leave Congress if you're not going to fight the guy or stand up to him. Or, you know, if you're a full-fledged cult member, you bend and kiss the ring, which is utterly despicable. And I think completely the opposite of what our constitution calls for, for a co-equal branch of government. But here's Mike Turner. This is April 14th of 2024. Let's play it. As you know donald trump has been on the sidelines saying he doesn't want to see that aid go to ukraine unless it's in the form of a loan but just very quickly do you expect it to get a vote this week congressman i do and i expect it to pass and by the way donald trump had said on the humanitarian the other the support to the

ukrainian government on the weapons, the military support. Everyone has been very much on this side of understanding that we're at a critical point. Russia is beginning to gain ground. Ukraine is beginning to lose the ability to defend itself. The United States must step up and provide Ukraine the weapons that they need. And I think we're going to see overwhelming support for that in the House this week. So again, Vladimir Putin clearly celebrating this. Donald Trump making a move directly helpful to Putin against NATO's interest. And look, I'm no Mike Turner fan, but he's at least the guy you'd want to chair that committee if you had to pick somebody. And now MAGA Mike Johnson fired him because the entire co-equal branch of government,

the House of Representatives, they just would literally whatever Donald Trump says, MAGA Mike does because otherwise MAGA Mike gets removed because he doesn't stand up. So basically, none of these MAGA Republicans in the House have any power. They just do what Trump says. Keeping you updated every step of the way. Hit subscribe and let's get to 4 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. Love this video? Make sure you stay up to date on the latest breaking news and all things Midas by signing up to the Midas Touch newsletter at MidasTouch.com slash newsletter.