White House will brief Congress on ‘serious national security threat’ after House Intel chairman issues warning

President Joe Biden’s top national security aide will brief members of Congressional leadership on an emerging threat to US national security which the House Intelligence Committee chair has described as “serious”.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that he is scheduled to host a briefing with the chair and ranking member of the House panel, plus House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on Thursday.

The House Intelligence panel chairman, Ohio Representative Mike Turner, drew attention to the unspecified threat earlier on Wednesday when he issued an unusually cryptic statement on the “serious national security threat” and calling on Mr Biden to “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”.

Mr Sullivan declined to specify any details on the matter referred to in Mr Turner’s statement, but he told reporters the congressman’s statement was unexpected because the briefing with House leaders was previously scheduled.

He also said he’d “personally” contacted the Gang of Eight — the party leaders and chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees — earlier this week to schedule a briefing, and admitted that doing so was “highly unusual”.

“That’s been on the books so I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly today, in advance of a meeting on the books, for me to go sit with him alongside our intelligence and defence professionals tomorrow,” he said.

He added that he was “not in a position to say anything further today” but he stressed that he “look[s] forward” to the sit-down with Mr