Democrat Questions 'Highly Risky Move' To Post National Security Threat

Congressman Adam Smith questioned Ohio Representative Mike Turner's decision to publicly ask President Joe Biden to declassify information related to a "serious" threat to national security in a social media post.

During a CNN interview Thursday morning, Smith, a Democrat from Washington, said he was "mystified" by Turner, who serves as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, deciding to make this public plea with Biden, saying that the decision was "inexplicable."

He argued the information should not be made public to ensure that "sources and methods" are protected and so that adversaries do not know what information U.S. intelligence sources may have.

"There are circumstances when we want the other side to know what we know. But that is a decision that is made at the highest levels of the executive branch. It is not a decision that one individual member of Congress wakes up one day and decides he's going to do on his own. This is a highly, highly risky move," Smith said.

Newsweek reached out to Turner's office for comment via email.

The Context

Turner, a Republican, released a statement on Wednesday asking President Biden to "declassify all information relating to" an unspecified national security threat "so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat."

What We Know

Turner did not provide any further details about the national security threat in his statement Wednesday afternoon, but it is believed to be related to Russia.

ABC News reported that the intelligence was related to a Russian desire to put a nuclear weapon into space for use against satellites, citing two anonymous sources with knowledge of Capitol Hill discussions. Moscow has been experimenting with how to use nuclear explosions or other methods to take out satellites, a U.S. official told The Washington Post.

Details about the time scale for such a weapon to be operational or how the U.S. plans to counteract it remained unknown.

Views

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio wrote in a statement on Wednesday: "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," the statement reads.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he previously sent a letter to the White House on the issue.

"I want to assure the American people, there's no need for public alarm. We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified. Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to disclose classified information and really can't say much more. We want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel. We're working on it," he said.

What's Next

Smith said he would attend a meeting with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan later on Thursday, where he would "get more information" about the threat. He added that he had been briefed on this before.

Update 2/15/24, 9:29 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to note that Newsweek reached out to Turner's office for comment.

Update 2/15/24, 9:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.