House Intel Chair Turner warns of 'serious national security threat,' urges Biden to declassify
Turner did not specify the nature of the threat.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner on Wednesday urged President Biden to declassify information related to a "serious national security threat."
Turner, however, did not specify the nature of the threat.
"Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat," said Turner, an Ohio Republican.
"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."
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said White House press briefing, after Turner's social media post on the matter, that earlier in the week he offered to personally brief the "Gang of Eight" on the matter Thursday and declined to provide any detail at least until before that time.
The Gang of Eight is the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate plus the chairmen and top members of other parties on the Senate and House Intelligence committees.
"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 said, according to FoxNews.com.
"I'm not in a position to say anything further from this podium at this time, other than to make the broad point that this administration has gone further, and in more creative, more strategic ways, dealt with the declassification of intelligence in the national interest of the United States than any administration in history."