House Speaker Mike Johnson has taken a lot of fire in recent months, but he quietly made two, new solid appointments to the committee tasked with reigning in the Deep State. If only all his fellow Republicans could get on board…

In a perfect world, the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee would prioritize reigning in the Deep State agencies that have waged a partisan campaign against the GOP for nearly a decade. It’s not just Russiagate and the suppression of Hunter Biden’s laptop, but the partisan targeting of conservative voters who stand up against the progressive agenda. Elections matter little if a permanent security state consistently puts its hands on the scale.

So some good news came last Wednesday when Johnson appointed two new members to the Intel Committee who seem to realize the existential fight ahead, Politico reported.

Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry will be joining the committee. The former head of the House Freedom Caucus, Perry has found himself the target of a federal investigation over his communications with Donald Trump after the 2020 election — a badge of honor for the America First crowd as much as it is a scarlet letter for Democrats and the media.

“I look forward to providing not only a fresh perspective, but conducting actual oversight – not blind obedience to some facets of our Intel Community that all too often abuse their powers, resources, and authority to spy on the American People,” Perry wrote on X.

Johnson also appointed Texas Rep. Ronny Johnson, the former White House physician during both the Trump and Obama administrations and a Trump loyalist and outspoken conservative firebrand.

Ronny Jackson standing outside Trump’s criminal trial: “This is not the kind of stuff that happens in the United States of America—this is Soviet-era stuff right here…it better scare the hell out of you, because they’ll come for you next.” pic.twitter.com/2shQFuWR1x

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 21, 2024

This is a step in the right direction for Johnson, who has long excoriated the “out of control” FBI and Department of Justice but ultimately gave them lavish new budgets as House Speaker. Perry “brings a lot to the table . . . He’s been desiring to be on that committee for some time. And I think he’s going to do a great job,” Johnson told NBC.

Despite the latest push toward accountability, Republicans in the esteemed Intel Committee seem more focused on hand-wringing against their new colleagues.

The Freedom Caucus has been trying to gain a foothold in the Intel Committee for some time, Politico noted, but establishment Republicans felt it was “out of the question.” They’ll huff and haw about norms, shattered confidence, and Perry’s own run-in with the FBI as an excuse, but their aversion is far more likely about ruffling the status quo. Populist upstarts who would bring greater transparency to the unaccountable workings of the Deep State are equally threatening to both sides of the aisle.

Perry sounds “like a true narcissist, believing he and he alone can bring ‘fresh perspective,’ whilst accusing everyone else of ‘blind obedience, ‘ one cowardly GOP member of the committee anonymously told Politico.

“Reminds me of the pro-Hamas student protesters who study an issue for five whole minutes and think they have all the answers.”

Good to know you can always count on the Principled Republicans™ to draw a moral equivalence between their own base who wants to reign in the FBI’s abuses and anti-American, Jew-hating, genocidal lunatics.

Others noted their belief to Politico that Johnson only made the appointments under pressure from Trump. The appointments were made quietly, announced on the House floor without a statement from Johnson’s office (compare this to the high-profile fundraiser Johnson held with former Speaker John Boehner at the end of May). In all likelihood, the Trump-backed pressure campaign did in fact occur.

It’s clear from his tenure as Speaker that Johnson will be a reluctant ally at best if and when Trump retakes the White House in November. Trump will be anxious to hit the ground running, keeping his promise to bring accountability to the Deep State and gut the bloated federal bureaucracy. It’s not just a matter of following through on campaign promises, but a matter of personal and political survival for Trump himself. These are the same forces that constructed Russiagate in 2015; now, after securing a felony conviction and with threat of jail time looming, there’s no telling what they would do to stop a second Trump administration from holding them accountable for their abuses.

Trump’s no fool. It always makes sense to have friends in high places, and loyalists on the Intel Committee will be invaluable for his push to bring Intel Services to heel. But it won’t be an easy fight. Politico’s reporting makes it clear that the establishment is generally content with the existing arrangement, even if they complain on Fox News about it.

If Trump wins, he won’t just be taking on the Democrats and Deep State that will weaponize state power against him. He’ll be taking on members of his own party who are fine sitting by and watching it happen.