Republican Ohio Rep. Mike Turner expressed concerns with the seemingly lax national security approach of the Biden administration during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” Saturday.
Turner raised alarms about Russia’s alleged plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space, expressing concerns on “Meet the Press” that the Biden administration might not be fully addressing this potential international crisis. Turner called for the administration to declassify information about Russia’s space-based nuclear program reportedly aimed at targeting satellites. “We need to make certain that we avert what could be an international crisis,” he told NBC.
“Everyone who’s looked at it uses the same language that I have — that it is a very serious threat,” Turner told “Meet the Press.” “We met with [national security adviser] Jake Sullivan and he began to lay out a plan that hopefully would begin to address this.”
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) tells #MTP he sounded the alarm to his House colleagues about Russia’s plan to put nuclear weapons in space out of fear that the Biden administration was “sleepwalking into an international crisis.” https://t.co/mxmV7wyrrn
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 18, 2024
Turner announced Wednesday that the House Intelligence Committee had shared with members of Congress details about a severe national security threat, later identified by NBC News as Russia’s development of a space-based nuclear initiative. (RELATED: House Delays Vote On Surveillance Reform Just Hours After Lawmakers Warn Of ‘National Security Threat’)
Sullivan, however, also addressed the issue earlier in the week. He indicated he had proactively reached out to the Gang of Eight, the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House and Senate, as well as that of their respective intelligence committees, offering detailed briefings on the matter.
Turner’s call for transparency and action reflects his apprehension that the Biden administration’s response might be insufficiently proactive, according to NBC. Despite his urgent tone, other congressmen, such as Democratic Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, advised the public against panic and downplayed the urgency of the threat from Russia.