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Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX) after losing his leadership race, attempted to leapfrog Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) to lead the Senate Intelligence Committee, despite Cotton holding seniority on the committee.
Cornyn’s move was discussed among Senate Republicans, Politico reports, citing party officials.
Seniority is sacred in the good ol’ boy system of the Senate, which prizes tenure above ability or expertise when awarding valuable committee gavels.
But unlike standing committees, the Select Committee on Intelligence is a select committee. The committee’s membership rotates and includes certain requirements “intended to reflect the nonpartisan nature of intelligence and encourage the Committee to work in a bipartisan manner,” according to the committee.
Critically, the two leaders of the committee are chosen, or “selected,” by each party’s respective Senate leader.
New Senate Majority Leader John Thune, (R-SD) fresh off a second ballot 29-24 victory over Cornyn to leader Republicans, ultimately will make the decision on who will chair the committee during the next Congress after the current top Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), was tapped to lead the State Department.
The leadership race was determined by secret ballot, although Cotton openly supported Thune over Cornyn, seemingly giving Thune an incentive to promote Cotton (who has more years than Cornyn serving on the panel).
But the establishment-friendly Cornyn is up for reelection in 2026. And while Cornyn has stated since his failed leadership election he intends to run for a fifth Senate term, that could change were he to miss out on the Intel Committee chair. Likely influencing his decision, Cornyn is likely to face a difficult primary challenger from the conservative ranks, likely Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – a top ally of Donald Trump.
By awarding Cornyn a committee gavel, Thune could induce Cornyn to stay the course in his reelection bid, reducing the chances a conservative outsider in Trump’s mold could arrive in 2027 to challenge the congenial Senate status quo.
As Politico reports:
Offering Cornyn, a 72-year-old former judge well-liked by his colleagues, control of the panel that oversees the country’s intelligence programs was seen as a win-win, according to two GOP officials who described the considerations. He’d claim a weighty position at a moment of conflict abroad and tensions at home over the country’s intelligence and law enforcement services. And Cotton would not be without a significant post, after his victory last month for conference chair, the third-ranking slot in the Senate GOP leadership.
But Cotton, who in November successfully won an internal election for Senate Republican Conference Chair over Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IO), is unlikely to surrender quietly.
Politico reports: “Cornyn approached Cotton to take his temperature about the post last month after the leader race, I’m told by a Republican senator, and Cotton responded by saying: ‘I’m going to be the chairman.’” The report adds: “I’m told the Arkansan has already started hiring staff and refused to be coaxed into letting Cornyn take the chair, which will be open because of Rubio’s appointment as Secretary of State.”
A Cornyn representative declined comment to the outlet.
Cotton spokesman Caroline Tabler told Politico that “Senator Thune has told Senator Cotton he’s taking over as chair. He is hiring staff, working with Senator Rubio on the transition, and planning with Senator [Mark] Warner (D-VA) for January confirmation hearings.”
Cotton’s determination to hold the key post is certainly a letdown for Cornyn, who once rose to Assistant Republican Leader, serving as Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) top deputy. But after six years in that position, Republican term limit requirements forced him to leave his perch. In January 2019, Thune replaced Cornyn as McConnell’s deputy, a position he used to leverage his rise over Cornyn to the top spot.
Despite serving in the Senate since 2022, Cornyn has never chaired a committee. The Texas is in line to be top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee in 2027, but only if he runs and wins.
Since entering his wilderness years, Cornyn has leveraged his relationships on both sides of the aisle to serve as a sort of bipartisan dealmaker, particularly during Joe Biden’s administration.
He played a critical role in 2022 ensuring passage of Biden’s gun control legislation, which included “red flag” laws, and in 2023 served as a key force behind the scenes negotiating the Senate’s pro-migration bill.
The migration bill was intended by McConnell and a bipartisan group of Senators to serve as a key component of a compromise unlocking tens of billions in aid for Ukraine. But the bill’s Republican support evaporated after its contents leaked; most notoriously, the bill would allow up to 8,500 migrants to cross the border in a single day without triggering the declaration of an emergency.
Trump came out in opposition to the legislation after learning it would handcuff future administrations’ ability to secure the border.
Cornyn’s record earned bipartisan chits inside the Senate (although not enough among Republicans to beat Thune). But it is unlikely to do him favors in a Republican primary in Texas, where Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) romped in 2024, emboldening conservatives and depressing long-held Democrat hopes to turn the state blue.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is likely to play a prominent role in the next Congress.
Trump seeks a far-reaching overhaul of the benignly-named intelligence community, which he has credibly accused of spying on his presidential campaign, among other sins. The congressional intelligence committees will play a critical role in instituting reforms.
But the Senate committee and its House counterpart serve less as oversight panels for the intelligence state then they do its protectors, with reformers arguing the members of the panels prioritize shielding its activities from the public and increasing the already vast powers of intelligence agencies (and their bureaucrats).
Trump is likely to want allies leading each committee. While Cornyn has made clear his disapproval of Trump over the years, the Texan worked to improve their relationship in the months ahead of his leadership election.
The Senate Intelligence Committee was established in 1976 after a string of consequential failures inside the intelligence community that were blamed for endangering national security. It evolved from the Church Committee, a temporary Senate panel led by Sen. Frank Church which sought to bring to light the illegal activities undertaken by the Central Intelligence in conjunction with the Defense and State Departments.
But since the committee’s creation, the intelligence community has played critical roles in throwing the United States into foreign wars and other overseas activities based on selectively chosen or even manufactured intelligence. Almost half a century later, the intelligence community holds a more secure and powerful position inside the federal government than ever.
If Trump wants true congressional oversight over the nation’s intelligence, reform of the overseers might be a good place to start.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
