After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that the “Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill that was opposed by most Senate Republicans,” House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said there was a “serious national security threat.”
“Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat,” Turner wrote. “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.”
The statement comes as Turner recently returned to the United States after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaker Johnson said that Americans have “no need for alarm” after learning of the security threat, according to the New York Post.
“Last month, I sent a letter to the White House requesting a meeting with the president to discuss a serious national security issue that is classified,” Johnson told reporters, adding, “In response to that letter, a meeting is now scheduled tomorrow on this matter here at the Capitol with the Gang of Four and with the president’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan.”
The Gang of Four is a group of top members of Congress.
“I want to assure the American people there is no need for public alarm. We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified,” he said. “And beyond that I’m not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can’t say much more.”
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the threat is reportedly related to Russia and is “very sensitive.”
Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement on the situation, saying, “The Senate Intelligence Committee has the intelligence in question, and has been rigorously tracking this issue from the start. We continue to take this matter seriously and are discussing an appropriate response with the administration. 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.”
