White House officials and congressional leaders were forced to respond to public concerns last week after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner released a statement that warned of a “national security threat,” ABC News reported.
It all began on the morning of February 14 when the House Intelligence Committee shared a statement from Chairman Mike Turner from its account on X.
In the statement, the chairman announced that the Intelligence Committee had invited congressional lawmakers to review “information concerning a serious national security threat.”
Turner’s statement called on President Biden to declassify the information in question so members of Congress, along with the White House and America’s allies, could “openly discuss” how to “respond to this threat.”
The surprising statement sent a shockwave through social media and media outlets, with reporters grilling the White House and congressional leadership about the substance of the “national security threat.”
Democrat Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, tried to calm fears, telling reporters that while the threat was “serious” and Chairman Turner was right to be concerned, there was no reason to panic.
Himes appeared to criticize Turner’s statement, saying that while he agreed that declassifying the intelligence was a “worthwhile discussion,” the discussion should not be held in public.
Reporters also grilled National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about Turner’s statement during the White House press briefing later that day.
Sullivan expressed surprise that Turner would release a statement when Sullivan had already set up a briefing with the congressional Gang of Eight for the following morning to discuss the intelligence.
The national security advisor refused to discuss the details with reporters and stressed that the administration faced a “range of threats” every day.
Sources later told ABC News that the intelligence Turner cited involved the Russians wanting to place nuclear weapons in space to target satellites in orbit.
One source described the intelligence as “very concerning and very sensitive.”
