House Speaker Mike Johnson drags his feet making critical appointments on the House Intelligence Committee. The House Freedom Caucus is pushing for Pennsylvania Representative Scott Perry, but is met with criticism.
There are currently two open seats for Speaker Mike Johnson to fill on the House Intelligence Committee. He is being pressured from all sides by conservatives, Trump, and the current committee panel.
Some conservatives and Trump are pushing for Pennsylvania Representative Scott Perry, former Chair of the House Freedom Caucus, to fill the vacancy. Current members of the committee push back as Perry is currently involved in a federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Representative Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), who sits on the committee, described its members as “typically not bomb throwers.”
The House Intelligence Committee oversees the FBI, which seized Perry’s cell phone in August 2022. Republicans on the committee say this makes him ineligible for appointment, as he sought to litigate what federal investigators would be able to access on his device.
Johnson, who has recently faced removal efforts, is being pressured to make the appointments. Recently, an anonymous Republican offered another solution, saying “It is too much effort and political capital, so better to leave [the seats] open and start in January.” One of the seats has been empty for eight months, so some speculate that Johnson will delay the appointments even further to avoid political blowback in his already precarious position as Speaker of the House.
Other Republicans are supported by conservatives, including Representative Ronny Jackson from Texas. He has built a pre-existing relationship with the House Intelligence Committee through his work on the House Armed Services Committee.
