The United States is facing a “serious national security threat,” top officials warned Wednesday, although they would not elaborate on its nature as multiple media outlets reported that it concerned Russia’s military capability.
In a cryptic statement that forced fellow congressional leaders to reassure the public that there was no immediate cause for panic, US House Intelligence Committee chairman Michael Turner urged lawmakers to review the details.
“I am requesting that President (Joe) Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the administration and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat,” he said.
Turner and his Democratic counterpart Jim Himes said in a separate letter to lawmakers the panel had “identified an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all congressional policymakers.”
Turner said his committee had voted on Tuesday to make information available for review by lawmakers until Friday.
Himes urged caution however in a separate statement in which he described classified intelligence brought to the attention of committee members on Tuesday night as “significant” but not “a cause for panic.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also urged caution, telling reporters at the Capitol that “there is no need for public alarm.”
“We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified,” he said.
Unidentified sources told NBC News and CNN that the threat is a “highly concerning and destabilizing” Russian military capability, although lawmakers and the White House would not elaborate.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan signaled frustration that Turner had gone public ahead of a Thursday briefing scheduled for the four House members in the “Gang of Eight” group of party leaders and top intelligence committee members.
“That’s his choice to do that. All I can tell you is that I’m focused on going to see him, sit with him, as well as the other members of the ‘Gang of Eight’ tomorrow,” he said.
The drama played out with Biden and the Republican-led House at an impasse over a White House request for $60 billion in military aid to help Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion entering its third year.
Johnson — who has repeatedly warned he will not address allies’ security until America’s immigration system is shored up — is refusing to bring the Senate-passed bill to the floor for a vote.
