White House will brief Congress on ‘serious national security threat’ after House Intel chairman issues warning

Jake Sullivan

President Biden’s top national security aide will brief members of Congressional leadership on an emerging threat to US national security which the House Intelligence Committee chair has described as “serious”.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that he is scheduled to host a briefing with the chair and ranking member of the House panel, plus House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on Thursday.

The House Intelligence panel chairman, Ohio Representative Mike Turner, drew attention to the unspecified threat earlier on Wednesday when he issued an unusually cryptic statement on the “serious national security threat” and calling on Mr Biden to “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”.

According to ABC News, two sources described the threat at issue as emanating from Russia, and involving plans to potentially use space-based nuclear weapons for anti-satellite purposes.

“It is very concerning and very sensitive,” according to one source, who told the network that the threat was “a big deal”.

Mr Sullivan declined to specify any details on the nature of the threat, but he told reporters the congressman’s statement was unexpected because the briefing with House leaders was previously scheduled.

He also said he’d “personally” contacted the Gang of Eight — the party leaders and chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees — earlier this week to schedule a briefing, and admitted that doing so was “highly unusual”.

“That’s been on the books so I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly today, in advance of a meeting on the books, for me to go sit with him alongside our intelligence and defense professionals tomorrow,” he said.

Mr Sullivan added that he was “not in a position to say anything further today” but he stressed that he “look[s] forward” to the sit-down with Mr Turner and his colleagues.

“Obviously from there we will determine how to proceed, but standing here at the podium today I can’t share anything further,” he said.

But he did add a broad acknowledgment that Americans, on a daily basis, “understand that there are a range of threats and challenges in the world that we are dealing with every single day,” and said he remains “confident that President Biden, in the decisions that he is taking, is going to ensure the security of the American people”.

Asked about the matter, Mr Johnson said on Thursday that there is no reason for the public to be alarmed.

A House Intelligence Committee spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

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