Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN host Jake Tapper that he was investigating former President Donald Trump’s conduct, as detailed in the federal indictments against him, and his dealings with secret documents while insisting prosecutors must “prove” he really broke the law.
“As far as this litigation is concerned, it will now proceed. And I will certainly not be defending the conduct detailed in this complaint. But they have to prove it. And it’s a legal process that needs to move forward,” Turner said repeatedly defended Trump during the last year, called on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
Tapper questioned Turner about the classified documents that federal authorities had seized at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and Republicans’ difficulties in defending Trump. The investigation into Trump’s mishandling of the documents led to his arrest and indictment last week.
“They care about national security. When you saw how insecurely these documents were stored at Mar-a-Lago, did your stomach churn?” asked Tapper Turner.
“Well, there’s certainly cause for concern,” Turner replied. He explained that he and the heads of the House and Senate intelligence committees reviewed the documents that Trump and Biden each kept.
“And I can tell you that after looking at these two documents, I have great concerns that these types of documents may be in an unsecured location. Both contained details of national security issues that should not have lain outside of a controlled environment,” Turner added.
Still, Turner has previously defended Trump’s mishandling of the documents.
Last August, Turner hinted that the documents found during the investigation were… “Not necessarily things that are really secret.” That same month, he challenged the FBI’s investigation altogether and demanded in a letter that FBI Director Christopher Wray had to explain why they searched Trump’s apartment.
“For him to do this, there has to be something higher at the national security level. Remember that President Trump has more classified material on his mind than he will have on his desk. Still, they searched his house to see what he had in his desk. I think the American public wants answers.” Turner explained to CNNis Pamela Brown in August 2022.
Turner previously said he did not keep confidential documents. In a February interview with Tapper, the Republican called He was “baffled” as to why an elected official would do so.
“I don’t understand Biden, nor Pence, nor Trump,” he said.