The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Sunday defended his baffling remarks in Congress last week that led to alarming reports that Russia wanted to deploy nuclear weapons in space.
Panel Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) first expressed concern about a “grave national security threat” as he feared the Biden administration was “sleepwalking into an international crisis.” He said he did.
“We need to make sure that we avoid what could be an international crisis,” Turner said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“My concern is that this is like a Chinese spy balloon, and the administration is probably hiding some kind of inaction,” he said. mentioned the Chinese intelligence gathering device that was discovered. The White House reportedly wanted to silence the public and even Congress about this major security breach.
“I think they’re going to take this seriously,” Turner said of U.S. officials and the latest disturbing revelations.
Turner did not publicly reveal the details of Russia’s alleged nuclear weapons program to destroy Western satellites, but he said his committee had received information about an unspecified “grave national security threat.” announced that it had been made public to Congress.
The various leaks that followed Turner’s warning paved the way for the Biden administration to publicly confirm Turner’s statements related to “Russia’s developing anti-satellite capabilities.”
The weapon, which a White House spokesperson said is “not an active fielded capability,” contains a nuclear device that could theoretically destroy space satellites orbiting Earth. CNN reportedand cited three sources.
Turner declined to confirm or deny details of the threat when asked Sunday.
House Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Hymes (D-Conn.) expressed some bewilderment at Turner’s decision to say what he did last week and downplayed the threat, calling it “serious” but “no need to panic.” It’s not the cause.”
But Turner later recalled meeting with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and saying, “We laid out a plan to hopefully start addressing this issue.”
“Everyone who has seen this is using the same words as me: this is a very serious threat,” Turner stressed.
Mr. Turner attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend, where Russia’s war in Ukraine was a top priority for U.S. allies. On Saturday, Ukraine was forced to retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka, in one of the Kremlin’s most important battlefield victories in recent months.
Russia’s move comes amid a political deadlock in Washington over funding to send additional weapons to Ukraine, which marks the second anniversary of the war with Russia’s invasion on February 24.
“Mr. Zelenskiy, of course, did not blame himself for his current situation or for what happened.” [Saturday] Regarding the delays that are occurring,” Turner said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “He indicated that he was certainly concerned that delays could cause delays in getting weapons to Ukraine.”
Turner denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “thug” and said the United States must respond to Moscow’s “atrocities” and “war crimes” in Ukraine.
The Ohio Republican also expressed hope that the House would eventually pass some funding for Kyiv, pointing to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s commitment to finding a way forward on this issue. did.
Ukraine has emerged as a political issue among House Republicans, who are deeply divided on the issue. The Senate last week passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes funding for Ukraine.
But Johnson poured cold water on the possibility of House passage, citing concerns about the lack of U.S. border security provisions that many Republicans want in return.
Lawmakers in both countries were shaken last week after President Vladimir Putin’s arch-enemy Alexei Navalny died in a remote Russian penal colony. Mr Turner said Mr Navalny’s death would make the US even more “powerful” in providing funding to Ukraine.
Former President Donald Trump has loomed large over Congressional deliberations regarding Ukraine. He has argued that aid should take the form of loans.
President Trump also recently caused a stir at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, when he argued that the United States should not protect NATO allies who do not fulfill their obligation to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.
“Donald Trump’s political rallies don’t actually reflect Donald Trump’s actual policies,” said Turner, who has supported Trump. “He actually increased funding for NATO.
“He was the first president to give deadly weapons to Ukraine,” Turner added.
Former President Barack Obama refused to send lethal aid to Ukraine, fearing it would be too provocative. The Trump administration gave the green light for that aid.
