In the wake of several recent resignations from Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson had two open seats to fill on the House Intelligence Committee. These are important places — the panel members have access to some of the country’s most important and sensitive secrets — and it was the Louisiana Republican’s job to choose wisely.
He didn’t. Politico reported this afternoon:
The phrase “You’ve got to be kidding me” keeps coming to mind.
Jackson’s name may sound familiar, but not for flattering reasons. The Texas Republican rose to national prominence during his tenure as Donald Trump’s White House doctor, when Jackson gave cringe-worthy, overly glowing assessments of the then-president’s health.
Trump subsequently announced that he wanted Jackson to join his presidential Cabinet as Secretary of Veterans Affairs — despite his apparent lack of qualifications — but faced bipartisan opposition after multiple reports surfaced about Jackson’s alleged pattern of substance abuse, harassment of women and creating a “toxic” work environment. The White House withdrew his nomination shortly afterwards.
Nevertheless, Jackson was elected to Congress, where he immediately became one of the most unhinged members of the House of Representatives. He regularly appeared in the conservative media with bizarre claims.
However, Donald Trump reportedly wants the Texan on the Intelligence Committee, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives has apparently complied.
But Scott Perry from Pennsylvania is an even more special appointment.
Perry may not be the most prominent member of the House GOP conference, but when it comes to the party’s 2020 election scandal, it’s hard to overstate how important the former House Freedom Caucus chairman’s role has been. Remember the infamous White House meeting on December 21, 2020, focused on the Republican plan to overturn the last presidential election? Perry was one of the participants. Remember when the January 6 bipartisan committee pointed to members who reportedly applied for presidential pardons? Perry was also on that list.
Remember when Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Donald Trump spoke to allies about visiting the Capitol on January 6? She said Perry was one of the people the then-president spoke to about this. Remember the allegations that then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows literally set fire to the papers in his office after meeting with a Congressional Republican? The lawmaker in question was Perry.
Remember when the public learned of radical text messages Meadows received from Republican allies leading up to January 6, including a member of the House of Representatives pushing unusually crazy conspiracy theories about vote-altering by “Italian satellites” ? Perry was that member.
Remember when the FBI seized a member of Congress’ phone as part of the federal election investigation? That was Perry too.
Politico reported last month that the idea of Perry joining the Intelligence Committee members gave current members of the panel “weakening heartburn.” Speaker Johnson apparently didn’t care.
John Bresnahan of PunchBowl News noted that Perry will now have oversight of the FBI’s counterintelligence programs, even during Perry’s ongoing lawsuit against the Justice Department regarding FBI agents who seized his cell phone.
What could go wrong?
This message updates our related previous reporting.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
