washington — Republican Rep. Mike Turner The Ohio governor, who was fired as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, told CBS News that House Speaker Mike Johnson fired him over "concerns at Mar-a-Lago." Turner also confirmed Friday night that he had been removed from the committee entirely.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, denied the decision was made by President-elect Donald Trump.

"This is a House decision," he said, "and it's no slight on our outgoing chairman."

Johnson said he was "a fan of Mike Turner" and that "he has done a great job leading the committee that oversees the intelligence community," but added that the committee "needs a fresh start."

"That's what this is for, nothing else," he said.

Johnson said he would announce Turner's successor on Thursday.

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the committee, said the decision "sends chills down my spine." He praised Turner's leadership and said he was confident in his ability to provide independent oversight of the intelligence agencies.

"He was not quick to cave," he said, calling Turner's removal "a huge blow to our ability to oversee."

Turner made no mention of his removal in a statement from his office.

"I am extremely proud to serve on the House Intelligence Committee and serve as Chairman. There are many excellent members on the committee and I am honored to serve with them," he said. "Under my leadership, we restored the integrity of the committee, and redirect its mission to a core focus on national security. The threats from our adversaries are real and require serious consideration."

Turner had previously been criticized by members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus for his defense of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Article 702 is a critical but controversial national security Monitoring tools The act, which has been in effect since 2008, was extended by Congress and signed into law by President Biden last April for an additional two years.

Turner has also been advocating for U.S. support for Ukraine's war with Russia, putting him at odds with the rising "Make America Great Again" wing of his party.

Last year, Johnson appointed two loyal Trump supporters to the committee, Reps. Scott Perry of California and Ronny Jackson of Texas. . At that time, Perry is in FBI investigation.