UPDATE: Oh, It’s Russia, Russia, Russia

We are now getting some idea what this “serious national security threat” is that Mike Turner was warning about. It has to do with Russia, Russia, Russia.

Fox News, Politico and MSNBC are all reporting the alleged threat involves new Russian space-based capabilities.

Mollie Hemingway smells a rat.

On a scale of “Russia collusion hoax” to “Hunter Biden’s laptop is Russian disinfo,” where are we to place the latest claims from the Intel Community? https://t.co/czZfEjxNtC

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) February 14, 2024

Hemingway has reason to be suspicious, given the timing. The Senate just approved $60 billion in new aid to Ukraine that the House Speaker rejects. President Biden just declared that if you don’t fork over the money to Zelenskyy you are “playing into Putin’s hands.”

Indeed, MSNBC reports the IC warning is “not unrelated to Ukraine funding.”

Also we can’t help but notice this intelligence warning about Russia comes less than a day after Michael Shellenberger dropped the bombshell news that the U.S. intelligence community tasked our foreign allies with targeting 26 Trump associates to create a basis for the Trump Russia Collusion hoax. (We’ll cover that extensively in tomorrow’s Brew.)

If you doubt the Intelligence Community would cook the books for political reasons, you not only have the Trump-Russia Collusion and Hunter Laptop cases, last year a whistleblower revealed the CIA bribed analysts to change assessment of COVID origins to fit administration messaging.

I’d also note that the person briefing Congressional leaders today is National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The same Jake Sullivan who came up with the idea to try and tie Donald Trump to Russia to neutralize Hillary Clinton’s vulnerability over her Russian connections. 

So, all told, we don’t have to be diving into shelters. Even if Russia does have some new capability, it’s been known for a while. (Why do you think Trump created “Space Force”?) House Speaker Mike Johnson declared this afternoon, “We just want to assure everyone steady hands are at the wheel. We’re working on it and there’s no need for alarm.” 

Here is our original report … 

Well, Thanks for the Cryptic Warning 

Speculation is flying high around the Nation’s capital at this hour about what is being described as a “serious national security threat.” From what, nobody is saying.

“People should not panic,” the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee Rep. Jim Himes says. (We don’t panic here at The Stream. We pray.)

The frenzy began when Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on intelligence, released a statement both cryptic and worrisome.

Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat.

‘I am requesting that President 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.

With so many dangers coming at us from so many different directions, you wanna give us at least a little clue, buddy?

Fox News Digital reports that the notice sent to lawmakers Wednesday pointed to “an urgent matter with regard to a destabilizing foreign military capability that should be known by all Congressional Policy Makers.”

NBC News had a similar report, quoting a Democratic source. “This is a serious issue that could lead to a destabilizing situation and a national security threat.”

Democratic source familiar w/threat tells @NBCNews: “This is a serious issue that could lead to a destabilizing situation and a national security threat.”

Described it as a “potential foreign threat” but would not say where the threat is coming from. https://t.co/CcMEdhcstT

— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) February 14, 2024

Could they be talking about the 20,000 Chinese illegals encountered by border agents thus far in FY2024? Hamas-connected terrorists?

FBI Director Christopher Wray made an surprise stop in Israel Wednesday and talked about the “elevated threat level” from a “rogues gallery of foreign terrorist organizations.”

Also, an FBI threat assessment last week warned that the vicious MS-13 gang may be teaming with the violent Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua to form a “Super Gang” preying on Americans. Is that what Biden means by “bringing people together”?

Or are we dealing with something different? It looks like CBS News picked the wrong week to dump Catherine Herridge. And it’s the wrong year to have as president an “elderly man with poor memory.”

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did little to ease concerns, saying, “I am not in a position to say anything further today. Standing here at the podium today, I can’t say anything further.” He added he’ll be briefing the House members of the “Gang of Eight” tomorrow.

Though worrisome, the danger does not appear to be imminent. As he was telling the nation people shouldn’t panic, Rep. Himes said the threat was one that needed to be dealt with in the “medium to long run.”

We’ll have more when it becomes available.