The head of the Intelligence Committee of the United States House of Representatives, Republican Mike Turner, warned this morning in a letter addressed to all congressmen of the existence of a “serious threat to national security” related to “a destabilizing foreigner.” Turner has asked President Joe Biden to declassify the information "so that Congress, the Administration and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat."
Government officials assure CNN that it is a “very sensitive” threat and that it would be related to Russia. Another source has described this information as "serious" to Fox News, although he does not consider it an immediate threat. The president of the Lower House, Mike Johnson, has said that "there is no need for public alarm" over the content of this classified material.
According to The New York Times, which also cites anonymous administration sources, Russia would be trying to develop a type of anti-satellite nuclear weapon in space, which would not yet be in orbit.
At the moment, none of this information has official confirmation. And they come after a chaotic week in the US Congress, in which the Republican blockade has caused joint aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as immigration reform, to fail. Yesterday, the Republicans began an impeachment process in the Lower House against the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, for alleged neglect of duties on the border, but it has no signs of succeeding in the Senate. Some Democratic voices claim that Turner's movement seeks to divert attention from these legislative failures.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated in a press conference that he had contacted the main legislators on the committees related to national security to arrange a meeting with them. Asked whether Americans "should be concerned" about this issue, Sullivan said that "it is impossible to answer with a resounding yes."
"There are a number of threats and challenges in the world that Americans have to deal with every day, ranging from terrorism to state actors. And we have to deal with them in a way that ensures the safety of the American people. I am I am sure that Biden will do it with the decisions he makes," Sullivan said.
The head of intelligence of the Lower House, Turner, has said in the letter sent to congressmen that the committee voted on February 13 to make certain information available to legislators for review and that members will have time to do so between today and on Friday.
The meeting with those in charge of the National Security committees was scheduled for Thursday, and Sullivan has expressed his "surprise" that Turner has moved forward, making public the alert of a "serious threat to national security." Neither of the two has given more details about the nature of said threat, which remains classified: "I am not in a position to say anything more from this rostrum at this time," Sullivan said during the daily press conference at the White House.
The National Security Advisor has noted that the Biden administration has in the past addressed the declassification of intelligence of national interest by going "further and more creatively and strategically" than "any administration in history." For this reason, "you will not find in him a lack of will to do so when it is in the interest of national security" to declassify said intelligence information.
