The next is a transcript of an interview with GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio that aired Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022, on "Face the Nation."
ED O'KEEFE: Welcome again to FACE THE NATION. I am Ed O'Keefe on this morning for Margaret Brennan. We flip now to the FBI search at former President Trump's Florida resort. Ohio Congressman Mike Turner is the highest Republican on the Home Intelligence Committee and he joins us this morning from Dayton, Ohio. Congressman, nice to have you ever with us. Thanks for being right here. This previous week, a Florida federal decide requested the Justice Division to arrange a redacted model of the aff- of the affidavit that set off the FBI operation on the former president's house, signaling he could also be prepared to launch it as early as this coming week. However affidavits aren't normally made public throughout an investigation in order to not impede the investigation. I am curious what degree of disclosure would fulfill the demand for the discharge of the affidavit, in your view?
REP. MIKE TURNER: Properly, that is very revealing as a result of the court docket has already made a ruling that they imagine, and keep in mind, the court docket is aware of what's within the affidavit. The parts of the affidavit may be launched to the general public. Now, what's vital about this affidavit is it is going to give us the data to know how did the FBI justify a raiding Mar-a-Lago and spending 9 hours within the president's home after we know the previous president's house, that they had different choices apart from simply raiding the home. They might have gone in and requested for the subpoena to be enforced. And the thriller kind of right here deepens, as a result of we all know Legal professional Normal Garland himself has taken duty, mentioned he permitted it. And the American public need the legal professional normal targeted on points like human and drug smuggling on the border. They- Chinese language espionage, uncontrolled crime in our cities. But when it's- if you are going to flip to this, if you are going to flip to the previous president and Mar-a-Lago, they need to make sure that that is to the very best degree, there's an imminent nationwide safety menace. And this affidavit will inform us, did they even allege so? As a result of of their doc, making an attempt to maintain the affidavit sealed, they did not even allege that there was a nationwide safety menace.
ED O'KEEFE: We must always level on the market's a ballot out this morning at one other information group that finds virtually six in ten People truly help persevering with this investigation. So whereas there could also be different huge points, there is definitely vast public curiosity on this one. You are an legal professional, although. Why would releasing any data on this affidavit make sense and guarantee the previous president not solely a good investigation by the Justice Division, however doubtlessly, if it will get to that, a good trial?
REP. TURNER: Properly, I feel- and also you're- you are citing polls and there are many polls on the market, by the way in which. The polls additionally point out that individuals need to make sure that- that if that is an imminent nationwide safety menace, that it is pursued. But additionally, they need to make sure that you do not have abuse of discretion right here. And what our concern is from our committee is there's an- an allegation of categorized paperwork that falls inside our jurisdiction. And present us what you discovered, as a result of the affidavit goes to have them inform publicly now what they advised the court docket they had been going to go discover. Present us what you discovered. It actually will not have an effect on the investigation. We take care of categorized paperwork and knowledge on a regular basis. Present us what it's that you simply went into the president's residence, spent 9 hours at former President Trump's residence. What's it that was at an imminent nationwide safety menace that you simply did not simply go to court docket and ask the court docket to- to order that the paperwork be delivered to them? Why did they spend- I simply consider the sources of 30 brokers that spent 9 hours within the preparation for that when we've actual imminent nationwide safety threats like Chinese language espionage, the border, points that- issues which can be happening in Ukraine. To take these sources and apply them right here, actually the American public needs to make sure this isn't an abuse of discretion.
ED O'KEEFE: Properly, I am- I am curious, since you are a member of the Intelligence Committee, what use might a former president have for categorized or prime secret data as soon as he is left workplace? Why- why convey it house with him to Florida?
REP. TURNER: Properly, I do not know. I imply, it's a must to ask him. However actually, everyone knows that each former president has entry to their paperwork. It is how they write their memoirs. They do not have, you understand, nice recall of every little thing that is occurred of their administration. And we do not know that they had been categorized. We all know, in line with the FBI paperwork, that they were- they had been recognized as marked categorized. You have got, in fact, the previous president saying that he declassified them himself. However I feel what's vital right here about this abuse of discretion, we've proof of the FBI abusing that discretion and of misconduct on behalf of the FBI. The FBI, you understand, we had an legal professional for the FBI that truly was convicted of doctoring an e mail to acquire a warrant against- in opposition to Trump. There's Trump's organization- you've gotten the- the FBI utilizing the Russia file, which has been confirmed to be debunked as proof beneath a warrant that they submitted. Each- all of which CBS has reported, and I've them up on my web site, your individual tales of those abuses of discretion. And the opposite query that we've is- is only in the near past there was a raid on Undertaking Veritas, which is a information group, to supposedly retrieve President Biden's daughter's diary. Now, that is not actually an imminent nationwide safety menace. It could be embarrassing to the president, nevertheless it's not one thing you'd see them do for an peculiar residents. There are actual questions as to what's the FBI doing right here? It is the- it is you understand, the rank and file FBI brokers, all people agrees, you understand, we help them. We've nice religion in them. However the management of the FBI, after they undertake a raid in opposition to the present president's political rival, it's a must to ask these questions.
ED O'KEEFE: Actual fast, are you conscious of any standing order from President Trump that he may need had, a standing order, to declassify paperwork he took from the Oval Workplace to the White Home residence whereas he was in workplace?
REP. TURNER: I've by no means served within the White Home. I'd by no means have any data of something that occurred.
ED O'KEEFE: Okay. So the Intelligence Committee would not know whether or not the president had a standing order?
REP. TURNER: Whether or not Biden does, whether or not anyone does- what's there to declassify. In truth, we weren't even notified when President Biden declassified all the data regarding the hunt for Zawahiri. And I used to be very shocked the element that they made public there. Very regarding as to the way it may inform al Qaeda and the long run those that we're making an attempt to focus on.
ED O'KEEFE: Two fast—
REP. TURNER: I had no, no advance data or discover after they did that.
ED O'KEEFE: Okay, two fast questions for you on the long run. You need to be the highest Republican on the Home Intelligence Committee subsequent yr?
REP. TURNER: Properly, I feel that actually my work on the Intelligence Committee is about nationwide safety and specializing in nationwide safety, and that is going to proceed to be my focus.
ED O'KEEFE: Give us a way, then, of what you'd examine when you had been head of the Intelligence Committee and Republicans take management of the Home.
REP. TURNER: Properly, you understand, as I mentioned from the start, is what I feel we wish Legal professional Normal Garland to be specializing in as a substitute of Mar-a-Lago, is Chinese language espionage actually furthering? How can we help Ukraine in preventing Russia aggression? Taking a look at ways in which we take a look at what is going on on on the border with human and drug smuggling and the way it's affecting our households. And, in fact, there's all the time the difficulty of the spiraling crime that is occurring in- in our cities. And the way can we affect that? How can we make sure that we've the appropriate instruments and details about any international affect that could be impacting that?
ED O'KEEFE: And as a Republican in Ohio, what does J.D. Vance, who in some polls is trailing proper now, should do to win that Senate race and maintain the seat for Republicans?
REP. TURNER: Yeah, he has to make the case and I feel he is doing that. He is campaigning very arduous. And, you understand, you- it's best to have him on.
ED O'KEEFE: We would like to. In truth, we have requested and to this point we've not heard again. But when he is listening, J.D. Vance, we would like to have you ever. Mike Turner, we cherished having you. We'll see you quickly right here in Washington. And we'll be again in a second.