The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee issued a cryptic statement on Wednesday requesting President Joe Biden to declassify information about a “serious national security threat” so that the U.S. and its allies can openly discuss how to respond.
Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who heads the panel, did not offer additional details about the threat but wrote in a letter to Congressional colleagues that the urgent matter is “with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability.” By Wednesday afternoon, House members were seen shuffling into a secure meeting space in the basement of the Capitol to review the classified information.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was “a bit surprised” by Turner’s statement, noting that he had already reached out to top leaders from the House and Senate—known as the Gang of Eight—earlier this week and had a personal briefing planned for Thursday.
“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,” Sullivan told reporters at a White House press briefing Wednesday, declining to comment further on the nature of the threat.
Asked if the public should be concerned about the unspecified threat, Sullivan said, “In a way, that question is impossible to answer with a straight ‘yes’ … because Americans understand that there are a range of threats and challenges in the world that we’re dealing with every single day, and those threats and challenges range from terrorism to state actors, and we have to contend with them.”
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed on Wednesday that it has “been rigorously tracking this issue from the start” and is “discussing an appropriate response with the administration,” per a note from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the committee’s chair, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the committee’s vice chair. The Senate is currently on a two-week recess. “In the meantime, we must be cautious about potentially disclosing sources and methods that may be key to preserving a range of options for U.S. action.”
Several House lawmakers said Wednesday that the announcement should not cause panic, but declined to provide any new details. “We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. “Beyond that, I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much more, but we just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel, we’re working on it, and there’s no need for alarm.”
“People should not panic — that is unequivocal. People should not panic,” Rep. Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat and the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. “I don’t want people thinking that martians are landing or that your Wednesday is going to be ruined. But it is something that the Congress and the administration does need to address in the medium to long run.”
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