The chairman of the intelligence service defends his tips about a Russian space weapon
Representative Michael R. Turner defended his decision to publicly hint about classified intelligence that Russia plans to deploy a new space-based nuclear weapon.
“They needed to know this information,” Mr. Turner, an Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview on NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He added: “I was concerned that it appeared the government was sleepwalking into an international crisis. But it looks like they can take action now.”
Mr Turner, who is aligned with President Biden in approving aid to Ukraine in his war against Russian aggression, faced wrath from the White House after his committee issued a cryptic statement on Wednesday calling for the release of classified material without saying what it was. . Current and former U.S. officials later said the intelligence involved a space-based nuclear weapon designed to take down U.S. satellite networks critical to defense and civilian infrastructure.
Some of Mr. Turner's Republican colleagues, including Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee, questioned his motives and said the Intelligence Committee statement was written to “secure additional funding for Ukraine.”
But Mr Turner stood by his call for the information to be released, which he said helped draw the Biden administration's attention to the issue.
“This was not just an action of mine,” Mr Turner said, emphasizing that the statement was issued by his committee. He said he was pleased that “the government is taking this seriously, and we will now be able to see action from the government.”
The Biden administration, concerned about the loss of key informants due to the release of classified information, informed members of Congress on Thursday that any Russian space-based system posed “no immediate threat to anyone's security,” a White House spokesman, John F. Kirby, reporters. Mr Kirby spoke of the potential danger posed by Russian anti-satellite technology, while rejecting Mr Turner's call for the release of related intelligence.
Mr. Turner defended his decision, saying he acted in accordance with his committee's rules by consulting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees U.S. intelligence programs and advises the government. The agency expressed “no objection whatsoever,” Mr. Turner said.
The administration and Republican leaders in Congress have been locked in a legislative standoff for weeks over a foreign aid package that includes $60.1 billion for Ukraine and a bill with new security measures to handle the influx of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico to take. But the White House's briefing of lawmakers on Thursday led to a rare Republican endorsement of the Biden administration's stance toward Russia.
“There are steady hands on the wheel,” chairman Mike Johnson told reporters after the briefing.
Mr Turner reinforced that message after the briefing.
“The bottom line is that we all got the strong impression that the government is taking this very seriously and that the government has a plan in place,” he said.