Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, made a vague public warning on Wednesday about an unspecified “serious national security threat,” prompting accusations that he did so to pressure the House to pass the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that just made it through the Senate.
US officials later told the media that the “unspecified threat was related to Russian space capabilities and a plan to develop a nuclear weapon that can target satellites. For their part, Russia dismissed the claim and said the US was “making up malicious stories.”
Turner called for the Biden administration to declassify information about the so-called threat and he has come under fire from some members of Congress for making the public spectacle. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling for an inquiry into Turner’s decision to release the information.
Ogles said Turner likely did so to bolster support for passing new aid for Ukraine and for extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. Section 702 was due to expire but was extended by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act until April 19.
“It has become clear that the intent was not to ensure the safety of our homeland and the American people, but rather to ensure additional funding for Ukraine and passage of an unreformed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,” Ogles said in the letter.
Before making the comments about the national security threat, Turner was urging Johnson to bring the $95 billion military aid bill to the floor. He also recently led a congressional delegation to Kyiv and has been calling for continued US support for the proxy war.