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The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees - Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence - disclosed Gen Haugh's firing to CBS.

"I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first — I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration," Himes said.

Himes said in a statement that he was "deeply disturbed" by the decision, CBS reported.

The Intel Committee had worked pretty well on a bipartisan basis under the leadership of Turner and Democrat Jim Himes.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes said he also had no “personal contact” with Biden during negotiations to reauthorize a controversial surveillance law.