On Thursday, the White House confirmed its knowledge of a national security threat on which the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, raised the alarm the day before regarding a Russian anti-satellite weapon. However, they sought to downplay the threat rather than indulge in a Chicken Little narrative.
According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, the sky is not falling.
"This is not an active capability that's been deployed," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. "And though Russia's pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there was no immediate threat to anyone's safety."
"We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth," Kirby added. The comments come a day after Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio poured gasoline on the proverbial fire when he issue a statement announce the panel had "information concerning a serious national security threat."
The dearth of immediate details regarding the true nature of the perceived threat left a lot of room for speculation as to the severity and the imminence of the threat.
The Criticism
Turner faced blistering criticism, both from members of his own party and across the aisle, for the manner in which he chose to publicize the matter by way of a vague social media post.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida accused him of gaslighting the country, while Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee called for an investigation into Turner.
Rep. Turner has supported the continued support of the Ukraine war effort while members of his own party, led by former President Donald Trump, supported opposing a $60 billion aid package to support Ukraine.
However, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who is also a member of the Intelligence Committee, defended Turner's decision to go public with the information.
"There was notifications from the intelligence community that made it just clearer now than before," Crenshaw said. "This was just the time."
Turner's post called on President Joe Biden to downgrade the classification status for all the information pertaining to the Russian anti-satellite weapon.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States has been aware of Russia's pursuit of such capability for many months, if not years. He further stated that President Biden has been briefed on it since the start of his tenure in the White House.
