Washington (CNN) � The White House on Thursday confirmed that the flagged by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee the previous day is related to “an anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing,� but sought to soothe concerns about the danger it presents to the United States.
“This is not an active capability that’s been deployed,� National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. “And though Russia’s pursuit of this particular capability is troubling there was no immediate threat to anyone’s safety.�
“We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth,� Kirby added.
Kirby’s comments came a day after the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, ignited a firestorm on Capitol Hill when he issued a cryptic statement announcing that the panel had “information concerning a serious national security threat.�
The lack of immediate details about the nature of the threat left many filling in their own blanks about its severity and imminence. Turner has faced withering criticism, even from for publicizing the committee’s knowledge in a vague post to social media, with Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida accusing him of “gaslighting the country,� and Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee demanding an investigation into Turner.
Both Gaetz and Ogles said they believe Turner was motivated to make the information public to rouse support for additional funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia. The Kremlin repeated that talking point on Thursday, .
Kirby responded to the Kremlin’s claim with one word: “Bollocks.� He later added that the US is still in the process of reaching out to Russia for conversations on Moscow’s anti-satellite capabilities. “We’ll have to see� whether public disclosure of the threat might make those conversations more difficult, he said.
The post from Turner called on President Joe Biden to declassify “all information� related to the threat. Kirby said the US intelligence community had “serious concerns� about a broad declassification of intelligence related to the threat.
He added that private engagement, “rather than immediately publicizing the intelligence, could be a much more effective approach.�
The United States has been aware of Russia’s pursuit of anti-satellite capability going back “many, many months, if not a few years,� Kirby said, and Biden has been briefed on it since the outset of his term.
He said it was only in recent weeks that the intelligence community has been “able to assess with a higher sense of confidence exactly how Russia continues to pursue it.�
As to whether the intelligence should be downgraded, Kirby said the administration has been following a rigorous process, and wouldn’t be “knocked off� that by Turner’s decision to publicize the threat on Wednesday.
He denied the administration provided a green light to Turner to make the information public.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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