- Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, released a cryptic statement about the “threat”
- Called on Biden to release full details so lawmakers and allies can respond
- The White House will brief lawmakers on the threat in a hearing on Thursday
- The ominous warning comes as the House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill to reauthorize the FBI's controversial “spying tool.”
A senior Republican warned in a cryptic statement that there was a “serious national security threat” and called on President Joe Biden to release all related information.
House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner of Ohio said members of Congress have been made aware of the threat, which is reportedly tied to Russia – but he would not elaborate.
He called on the president to release the information in the ominous warning so that lawmakers could discuss the consequences.
The threat is “highly concerning and destabilizing” and linked to Russia, CNN reported, as Capitol Hill sought more details.
Members of Congress or U.S. allies are not allowed to speak openly about the threat or work together on it until the report is declassified.
A senior Republican warned in a cryptic statement that there was a “serious national security threat” and called on President Joe Biden to release all related information
House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner of Ohio said members of Congress had been made aware of the threat – but he declined to elaborate
“Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence made information available to all members of Congress regarding a serious threat to national security,” he said.
“I call on President Biden to declassify all information related to this threat so that Congress, the administration and our allies can openly discuss the actions needed to respond to this threat.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday he was “surprised” that Turner spoke publicly about the threat related to a “destabilizing foreign military capability.”
He told reporters at the White House that the briefing on the warning would take place in Congress on Thursday.
“I reached out to the Gang of Eight earlier this week to request an in-person briefing with the Gang of Eight, and in fact we have scheduled a briefing for the Gang of Eight House members for tomorrow,” Sullivan said the media briefing in the White House.
“It’s in the books. That's why I'm a little surprised that Congressman Turner made a public statement today ahead of a scheduled meeting and asked me to sit with him tomorrow alongside our intelligence and defense experts.
“I can’t say anything more,” he added.
Rep. Jim Hines, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, stressed there was no need to “panic” but declined to go into details.
“This is something that Congress and the administration will need to address in the medium to long term.”
The ominous warning comes as the House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill to reauthorize the FBI's controversial “spying tool” – Section 702 of the Foreign Information Surveillance Act (FISA).
The tool allows US federal intelligence agencies to conduct targeted searches of foreign nationals, which they say is crucial to fighting terrorists.
Lawmakers are determined to fix “rampant abuses” of the program before reauthorizing the bill to ensure the FBI doesn't improperly interview Americans in its efforts to stop threats.
Turner is leading the charge for a bill that the House could vote on as early as Thursday.
He insists the legislation does not contain warrant requirements, which he says could “harm national security.”
A bill was released earlier this week that consolidates competing bills passed by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees last year.
“We do not and should not require a search warrant to view terrorist data collected legally and constitutionally,” Turner previously told
However, some members of the Republican Party have spoken out against the combined version, saying that further reforms are needed and that mandatory searches are necessary.
“Current law allows the U.S. government to collect data about you,” Bob Good, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said Tuesday.
However, Turner was critical of the demand for arrest warrants because, in his opinion, they would place an undue burden on the intelligence services.
“We do not and should not require a search warrant to view terrorist data collected legally and constitutionally,” Turner previously told .