Mike Turner on Face the Nation: Excuses, Evasions, and a Total Failure of Accountability

Mike Turner went on Face the Nation today and delivered a performance that would have made his former boss proud. And I do mean former. It is worth reminding people that Donald Trump fired Turner from the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee. Turner never criticizes Trump for it. He just swallowed it and kept serving the man. Turner and Trump share another important biographical detail. Both avoided military service while building political careers defined by pretending to be strong on national security.

Turner’s interview today was a master class in selective outrage. It starts with his retelling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. The question was simple. Was the attack in question caused by a failure in vetting or radicalization. Turner immediately launched into a revision of the entire twenty year conflict. He said “we did not go to Afghanistan to bring Afghanis here” and that the Biden administration “allowed Afghanistan to fall and fled.” When Nancy Cordes reminded him that Trump had cut a deal with the Taliban that set the exit timeline, Turner responded “their hands were not tied.” This is simply not true. Trump’s Doha deal put the withdrawal on rails. Biden inherited the timeline, the prisoner releases, and the collapse already in progress. Turner pretends none of that happened because it breaks the story he wants.

Then came crime in DC. Cordes noted that crime is down “30 percent in the last four months.” Turner still framed it as part of a national crisis of “crime and safety” and credited the presence of National Guard troops. It was another opportunity to turn a domestic policy question into a national security discussion. He treats every issue like it belongs to the Department of Defense. This plays well for Turner’s base and for the military industrial complex that keeps Wright Patt and a lot of local contractors funded. It does nothing to help civilians or local governments solve their own problems. Makes you wonder what Turner will say when Trump wants to send the National Guard into Dayton?

On Ukraine, Turner was asked about the leaked transcript that showed Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, coaching a Putin advisor on how to manipulate Trump. Brian Fitzpatrick called this “a major problem.” Don Bacon said Witkoff “fully favors the Russians.” Turner’s answer was that he was concerned about “the orchestration of giving Putin an opportunity to speak to Trump before President Zelensky.” The obvious question is why Putin should be speaking to an American president at all in the middle of his invasion of Ukraine. Turner will not say. He will not question Trump’s vulnerability to manipulation by an authoritarian. He will not acknowledge the danger of Trump’s “regular deal making” as Trump described it. He will not ask why his own party’s front runner is taking advice on foreign policy from people who appear to be running a two way messaging shop with the Kremlin.

Cordes pressed him on whether Witkoff should continue. Turner said you cannot take “just one slice” of a conversation and insisted the White House should be “concerned” about Putin getting access before Zelensky. What he never said is what matters. He never said Trump was wrong. He never said Trump’s negotiator crossed a line. He never said this was unacceptable behavior from someone representing the president.

On Venezuela, Turner was confronted with the Washington Post story that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered the killing of eleven people on a suspected drug boat and, when two survived, ordered a second strike to kill the survivors in the water. Turner’s answer was that Congress “does not have information that that had occurred” but that “if that occurred, that would be an illegal act.” He did not sound surprised. He did not sound outraged. He did not demand answers. This is not oversight. This is pretending to do oversight.

Here is the part that CBS never asked Turner. And it matters more than any of the above. Senator Mark Kelley posted one of the most important statements of this entire political cycle with others in Congress with legitimate military/national security bona fides. He warned military service members that they may soon be asked to carry out illegal orders. He reminded them that their oath is to the Constitution and not to any president. Turner was not asked about it. Turner has not commented on it. Turner would almost certainly fail that test. He failed it when Trump broke norms. He failed it when Trump broke laws. He failed it when Trump purged the Intelligence Committee of anyone who would not obey. Turner failed it again today.

Turner said Russia is “murderously killing civilians” and that Putin is “an aggressive authoritarian regime.” All true. Yet when confronted with evidence that Trump’s envoy was advising Putin’s advisor on what tone and words would best influence Trump, Turner’s only concern was the “orchestration” and the “timing.” He treats Trump like a fragile instrument who must be protected, not a leader who must be held accountable.

Ohio deserves better than someone who pretends to be a national security hawk while refusing to question the man who fired him, manipulated him, and now expects him to fall in line again. Turner’s interview today was not leadership. It was loyalty to power, not loyalty to country. And CBS letting him walk off the set without answering Mark Kelley’s challenge was a missed opportunity for every American who cares about whether our elected officials still believe in the rule of law.

If you want Turner to answer a real question, ask him this: What will you do when a president orders something illegal and expects you to defend it. Based on everything Turner said today, we already know the answer.

and, um, Mikey, and um, you need to learn to lie smoother.