White House to brief lawmakers on 'serious national security threat' related to Russia

WASHINGTON — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner released an unusual statement Wednesday warning of a "serious national security threat" without providing additional details, pre-empting what the White House said was a planned briefing for congressional leaders.

Two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News that the threat cited by Turner, R-Ohio, refers to a space-related capability from the Russian military.

President Joe Biden has been tracking the national security threat and directed White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan to engage congressional leaders, according to two U.S. officials.

White House officials conceded the matter is “serious” but there are ways to “contain” the threat without triggering mass panic, these officials said.

Turner, in his statement, did not identify the threat but said that his committee had "made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat" on Wednesday.

Turner said he's requesting that Biden "declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat."

The statement didn't offer any additional details, including the nature of the threat. On Wednesday afternoon, House members began trickling in and out of the highly secure room in the basement of the Capitol, known as the SCIF, where the most sensitive, classified information is shared with lawmakers.

Sullivan addressed Turner's statement at a press briefing a short time later and suggested he was perplexed by the congressman's statement because they already had a briefing planned for Thursday. A U.S. official confirmed that the Thursday briefing