Turner's statement came amid heated debate in Congress about how the United States should deal with global threats from Russia and other adversaries, with security hawks advocating for greater global involvement and some lawmakers most closely aligned with former Republican President Donald Trump advocating for a more "America First" approach to world affairs.
Republican Mike Turner urged President Joe Biden to declassify the threat. The White House has stated that the threat is not imminent but that congressional leaders will receive a briefing this week.
In a social media post by the House Intelligence Committee, Senator Turner stated that the committee has "made available to all members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat".
"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 said. According to two sources familiar with the situation, Turner's statement was about Russia and space operations, but no further information was provided on what was described as a highly classified matter.
The top Democrat on the committee, Jim Himes of Connecticut, said in a statement that while the classified threat is "significant," it "is not a cause for panic."
Similarly, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated there is "no need for public alarm".
In a statement, Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner and Vice-Chairman Marco Rubio stated that their committee has been "rigorously tracking this issue from the start" and "are discussing an appropriate response with the administration."
When asked about the threat at the White House, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that he had offered to personally brief the so-called "Gang of Eight" of House and Senate leaders from both parties and the top lawmakers on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
