Washington — The head of the House Intelligence Committee disclosed Wednesday that members of Congress had access to information about an unspecified “serious national security threat,” issuing a vague warning that prompted other lawmakers to downplay the urgency of the situation and urge the public to remain calm.
The revelation from Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican and the chairman of the House Intelligence panel, came in a cryptic statement issued by the committee, in which he encouraged President Biden to declassify all information relating to the threat. It did not contain any details, except to announce that the committee “has made available to all members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat.”
One U.S. official told CBS News that the intelligence in question relates to Russian capabilities in space.
U.S. officials told that Russia is developing a nuclear-capable weapon that could take down U.S. satellites, knocking out the ability to communicate, but there is no evidence a weapon has actually been deployed.
The threat described does not involve an active capability, though the issue is considered significant.
A U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the information publicly, pointed to a series of Russian space launches known as Cosmos, many of which carry classified Ministry of Defense payloads.