Texas Rep. Michael Conaway is getting high marks for his temporary job running the House Intelligence Committee this summer, including its probe of Russia’s efforts to disrupt the 2016 elections. The seventh-term Republican, in early stages of writing a panoramic farm bill on the Agriculture Committee, had a one-word answer — “sure” — when the Texas Tribune asked if he’d like to be the Intelligence chairman someday.
House Republicans limit their colleagues to a maximum of six years as chair of a committee. Conaway is halfway through that time at Agriculture. Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes also hits the six-year mark at the end of 2020, “potentially positioning Conaway to easily move into the Intelligence leadership role, should his colleagues back that notion,” says Texas Tribune.
Conaway was given temporary charge of the Russia probe while ethics complaints are resolved over Nunes’ handling of classified material. “House Democrats and Republicans alike now gush daily about Conaway’s handling of the investigation … in the open hearings he leads, he takes a quiet role and the partisan temperature in the room has been markedly reduced,” says the Tribune. Previously, the committee meetings were acrimonious and little investigative work was performed.
Conaway also is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.