In a vague statement released Wednesday morning by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) raised a "serious national security threat" of which lawmakers have been briefed.
"Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat," Chairman Turner said in a statement posted to X.
"I am requesting that President 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 added.
Statement from Chairman @RepMikeTurner: pic.twitter.com/OA9yJuEPlf
— House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) February 14, 2024
Beyond this scant statement, Chairman Turner told his fellow lawmakers in a "Dear Colleague" letter this week that his committee had "identified an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all Congressional Policy Makers."
🚨FROM ME AND @heatherscope
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 14, 2024
House members got this email
House Intel Chair Mike turner just told house republicans to go to SCIF for a briefing on FISA ahead of a possible vote this week. pic.twitter.com/OZyxn4JlDQ
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The HPSCI was previously said to be working on making some "space related" committee material available to all members of Congress, presumably the information mentioned by Turner in his statement and letter to lawmakers.
There are two separate things happening in HPSCI this week — one is FISA debate and another was their vote to make certain material available for members to review in the scif that I’m told is space related
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) February 14, 2024
According to NBC News, Democrats also called the matter "a serious issue that could lead to a destabilizing situation and a national security threat" and confirmed it was a "potential foreign threat," but did not tell the outlet which foreign entity from which the threat emanated.
The chances of the threat becoming known to the public even without Biden using his declassification power will increase as more members of Congress are briefed on the matter, though it's impossible to know the timeline for when the threat will come into clearer focus.
In Wednesday's White House press briefing taking place just after the warnings from Congress were released, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan refused to say that Americans should be assured there's nothing imminent of which to be fearful. Instead, he insisted "I am confident that President Biden in the decisions that he is taking is going to ensure the security of the American people going forward."
NSA Jake Sullivan says he's "not in a position to say" if the public should be "alarmed" by news of a classified briefing in Congress over "an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability" pic.twitter.com/pOtUJ7KEUZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 14, 2024
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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