EXCLUSIVE — Three sources with knowledge of the situation, including one familiar with the issues that led to Wednesday’s decision, say that concerns related to Havana syndrome were partly responsible for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) decision to remove Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
What the government refers to as “Anomalous Health Incidents,” Havana syndrome has afflicted hundreds of U.S. diplomats, intelligence officers, and military personnel globally since 2016. It was first reported by U.S. diplomats and CIA officers serving at the newly reopened U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba in 2016. AHI involves otherwise unexplained ailments, including dizziness, extreme pressure in the head, and unsteady gait. Some suspected victims now suffer serious, lifelong ailments. Others have even died prematurely.
The notion that Turner was replaced partly due to his actions in relation to AHI stands in contrast to predominating media coverage.
That media coverage has suggested that Turner was removed as a result of Johnson’s deference to President-elect Trump’s wishes. In contrast, the Washington Examiner understands that one motive for Johnson’s decision was his frustration at what he regarded as Turner’s obstruction of efforts to more seriously investigate AHI. A Capitol Hill source stated that the Speaker had pushed Turner to support greater committee work on AHI. This fits with a broader and generally felt sense by a significant number of Republicans on Capitol Hill that Turner exercised excessive solitary influence over prospective legislation and other actions related to the intelligence community.
Johnson’s interest in more comprehensive congressional oversight of the intelligence community in relation to AHI is reflected in his appointment of Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA subcommittee, to replace Turner. Crawford released an interim report in December outlining his belief that it is “increasingly likely a foreign adversary is responsible for some portion of reported AHIs” and that there is “direct evidence” the CIA’s analytic response has been “developed in a manner inconsistent with analytic integrity and thoroughness.” The Washington Examiner will have more reporting on Crawford’s AHI efforts in an article to be published next Wednesday.
Sources say that Johnson and Crawford were frustrated with Turner’s rejection of efforts by Crawford to authorize an AHI commission via an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Those efforts were reportedly killed by Turner early during GOP conference negotiations on the NDAA. One source observed that the unclassified version of Crawford’s interim report was shrunk from approximately 20 pages to eight pages as a result of Turner’s pressure, and suggested that Turner introduced partisan language into it.
Some victims of AHI and others on Capitol Hill suggest Turner was quietly protecting the intelligence community from closer scrutiny over its treatment of the issue. And while Turner is well regarded by the intelligence community’s leadership and many in its analytic cadres, his de facto leaking last February of highly classified U.S. intelligence on a nuclear weapons-based Russian anti-satellite system raised significant concerns in the Pentagon.
Again, however, the AHI concern looms large.
The intelligence community has insisted for years that AHI incidents are “very unlikely” to involve a foreign actor. In contrast, the Washington Examiner has reported on the extensive evidence pointing towards some AHI incidents as having been caused by compartmented units of the Russian intelligence services employing radio frequency-directed energy weapons. The Russian intelligence apparatus has long prioritized the development and deployment of unconventional weapons.
Still, the U.S. government’s skeptical stance toward a Russian causal factor for some AHI incidents is, albeit slowly, now changing. Two U.S. intelligence agencies last week separated themselves from other agencies in offering new assessments that some AHI incidents may well be the result of hostile action by a foreign adversary. The Washington Examiner understands that these agencies are the National Security Agency and the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command.
Crawford’s appointment is receiving a warm reception from AHI victims. Mark Zaid, an attorney representing many victims told the Washington Examiner, “We are ecstatic that Crawford will be the incoming chair given that he not only believes the victims but understands the intelligence community is covering up the truth.”
“Adam,” the first U.S. government official to report being a victim of AHI in Cuba, was more direct. He told the Washington Examiner, “Rep. Turner turned out to be another obstructionist working more for the intelligence community and their cover-up of AHI than the truth. I’m happy to see him go.” A retired CIA officer, Adam continues to face significant health challenges as a direct result of his experience.
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As does Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired senior CIA officer and another AHI victim. Polymeropoulos added his support for Crawford’s appointment, observing that “this news will be welcomed by AHI victims and their families.”
The offices of Turner and Crawford did not respond to individual requests for comment. The speaker’s office referred the Washington Examiner to a public statement that noted in part, “Crawford has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his steady approach to the challenges facing our country.”
