Speaker Johnson says 'no need for public alarm' after national security threat raised

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday that there is "no need for public alarm" after House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner called for President Joe Biden to declassify information he said pertained to "a serious national security threat."

“I saw Chairman Turner’s statement on the issue, and I want to assure the American people, there is no need for public alarm,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol. “We are going to work together to address this matter, as we do all sensitive matters that are classified.”

Without giving any specific information about what the threat involved, Johnson went on, “We just want to assure everyone: Steady hands are at the wheel, we’re working on it, and there’s no need for alarm."

Johnson said he, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Turner, and Rep. Jim Himes (CT), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, would meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the Capitol on Thursday.

The speaker had already sent a letter to the White House last month requesting a meeting about the threat.

Turner made his statement after the House Intelligence Committee made the classified information about the threat available to all members of Congress.