Top lawmakers to be briefed on Russian threat

Key Republican issues highly unusual public warning

Also in today’s ‘Regular Order’ for February 15, 2024:

• Another big House GOP retirement.

• Conservatives fume as FISA reform debate is delayed.

• Yet another GOP rebellion on the House floor.

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SPY THREAT. Top House leaders in both parties will be briefed today by U.S. military and intelligence officials about a 'serious national security threat,' which was publicly disclosed in a most unusual manner on Wednesday. Initial reports indicated it involves a new military capability in space being developed by Russia, but no one would confirm that on the record.

• INTEL. A day earlier, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously to share intelligence about this situation with all members of the House. But on Wednesday, panel chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) went one step further, by issuing an out of the ordinary public statement.

• STATEMENT. "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," Turner said.

• ALARM. Turner’s statement caused an immediate uproar, as top officials in Congress and at the White House had to quickly make clear that there was no cause for alarm or panic. But a lot of questions went unanswered.

BRIEFING. Today's closed door briefing involves Turner, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. That's the House half of what's known as the 'Gang of Eight' on intelligence matters.

• ANNOUNCEMENT. I can't stress enough how unusual this announcement was by Turner. "I suggested that we actually not say anything," Himes told us, indicating a partisan split about sending out that public statement.

• WHITE HOUSE. "I am a bit surprised that Congressman Turner came out publicly," said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who will be part of today’s briefings. "I'm not in a position to say anything further.”

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TURNER. All afternoon, we scrambled around Capitol Hill trying to figure out why Turner had gone public like this. I've covered him since he was first elected in 2002. Turner is not prone to hyperbole or showmanship. He isn't running after media clicks. But the question remains - why? Why did he do this?

• BACKGROUND. Intelligence Committee members shed little light on why Turner went public. They made clear there was bipartisan agreement that the intelligence needs to be shared with other lawmakers.

• REASONS. Was Turner in some kind of spat with the White House or U.S. Intelligence? No, was the answer. So, why go public? "You can talk to the Chairman about that," Himes said.

• NO COMMENT. Turner wasn’t talking when we saw him Wednesday evening. When he came down the House steps after the final votes of the day, he put his phone to his ear as he ignored the calls of reporters.

• SPIDEY SENSES. What does my gut tell me? I honestly don’t know. This could just be about Russia. It could be about FISA and §702 surveillance. All I know is that I have never seen anyone do something like this. Turner clearly wanted the basics of this information out in public.

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SCIF. While we are on intelligence matters, one part of the hallway outside the House chamber was closed off yesterday afternoon, as one room was temporarily used for some kind of top secret briefing. “It’s a SCIF,” police said repeatedly, the name for a ‘Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility.”

• BRIEFING. It wasn’t clear what was being discussed inside, or why it was set up next to the House floor - instead of down in the House Intelligence Committee SCIF. In the hallway, a portable cubby was holding cell phones.

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UKRAINE. The House will head home this afternoon - for almost two weeks - without taking action on an aid package for Ukraine and Israel that passed 70-29 in the Senate. "We are not going to be forced into action by the Senate," declared House Speaker Mike Johnson, who again called that Senate bill 'dead on arrival' for not addressing border security.

• ANGER. Democrats were furious at the lack of action on Ukraine. "Why isn't it being brought up?" demanded an agitated Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). "The most urgent national security threat facing the American people right now is the possibility that Congress abandons Ukraine and allows Vladimir Putin’s Russia to win," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

• BORDER. Behind the scenes, Republicans were trying to figure out how they might be able to add border security policy provisions to the Senate-passed Ukraine/Israel aid bill. "There are lots of ideas on the table," Speaker Johnson said. But after today, the House won't be back until February 28.

• IDEAS. One bipartisan group of House members was putting the finishing touches on a compromise plan of about $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, paired with some border security ideas. "Hopefully we can contribute to the conversation and get something passed," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).

MEETING. Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson said he had asked to meet repeatedly with President Biden on the border, but had been rebuffed by the White House. “I'm going to continue to insist,” Johnson told reporters. “There are very serious issues that need to be addressed.” The White House reply was basically to pass the Senate deal.

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DERAILED. One reason that the House is leaving town early today is because work was scrapped on a bill to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Speaker's office said the bill will be debated 'at a later date.' The current authorization for some of the FISA surveillance capabilities expires on April 19.

• FRUSTRATION. The decision to postpone that debate angered conservatives. "We should stay in session rather than adjourn," said Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH). "We ought to put the bill on the floor and find out where every member is," added Rep. Bob Good (R-VA).

• IRKED. "Just as we were winning the debate on requiring warrants for domestic spying in the FISA 702 reauthorization, the Speaker yanked the bill," Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) fumed. "We fought for regular order," said an aggravated Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA). "Let's have some regular order."

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UNSALTED. FISA wasn't the only dispute bubbling up for Republicans, as the House rejected plans to take up a bill to ease limits for some taxpayers on the state and local tax deduction (SALT). It was a rebuke to GOP lawmakers in New York and California, who have repeatedly pressed to ease changes made by the Trump tax cuts.

• RULE VOTE. 18 Republicans - most of them members of the Freedom Caucus - voted to torpedo the rule allowing for that SALT debate in the House. The vote was 225-195.

• LONG ISLAND. The vote rubbed salt in the wounds of New York Republicans, a day after they lost a House seat on Long Island. "I will continue fighting to provide New York neighbors with the SALT relief they deserve," said Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY).

• CATCALLS. Democrats mocked the latest GOP legislative failure. “This majority is so incompetent they couldn’t even manufacture a fake vote to pretend New York Republicans are good at legislating,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA).

PARLIAMENTARY NERD NOTE. Just so you know - this is unbelievable. I can't stress enough how crazy this is. This was the sixth time a rule has failed this Congress in the GOP House. One time is a lot. Six is absolutely nuts.

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NY3 SPECIAL. The finger pointing started immediately among Republicans over the party's loss of the seat once held by expelled Rep. George Santos (R-NY). There had been high GOP hopes for that special election in the New York suburbs of Long Island, but the final tally wasn't close, as Tom Suozzi (D-NY) returned to Congress with a comfortable win of just under 8 percent.

• SPEAKER. House Speaker Mike Johnson downplayed the defeat, saying Suozzi had basically co-opted GOP arguments about border security. "Their candidate ran like a Republican," the Speaker told reporters. "That is in no way a bellwether of what's going to happen this fall."

• MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. Others echoed the complaints of Donald Trump and attacked the GOP nominee. "Mazi Pilip was a horrible candidate," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). "This was not a win for Democrats by any measure, it was another avoidable screwup by Republicans."

• BORDER. The most striking thing about this race was how much the GOP tried to make it into a referendum on border troubles and President Biden. Suozzi addressed that head on by criticizing the GOP for blocking a bipartisan border security deal in the Senate.

• POLITICS. Let's be honest - if Pilip and the Republicans had kept this seat in GOP hands, we would be writing huge headlines about how border security might produce a giant wave against Democrats. That didn’t happen.

• VIVA DE LA SANTOS. From the sidelines, George Santos repeatedly attacked his former New York GOP colleagues for helping to kick him out of Congress. "This ill fated loss was all because of personal disputes,” Santos tweeted.

REDISTRICTING. Today may bring news about a new Congressional map in New York, which could put some current GOP lawmakers in jeopardy this November. A special bipartisan commission is ready to approve a new map, which would then be sent to the state legislature. Stay tuned.

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RETIREMENT. Yet another big name Republican in the House has decided to leave Capitol Hill. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, made the surprise announcement on Wednesday afternoon, a day after leading the House in voting to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

• GREEN. "I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish," said Green, who was first elected to the House in 2018. Asked whether he had other political ambitions - like maybe running for Governor - Green only said cryptically, "The fight isn't in Washington. I think the fight is with Washington."

• CHAIR. Green is the third chair of a House committee to announce a retirement in the past week. So far in 2024, a dozen lawmakers have said they won't run for another term - 11 of those 12 were Republicans.

• CHAIRS. As of now, five Republicans who chair a House committee are retiring this year: Granger TX (Appropriations), McHenry NC (Financial Services), McMorris Rodgers WA (Energy and Commerce), Gallagher (Select China), and now Green TN (Homeland Security).

TURNOVER. I will say again, THIS IS NOT NORMAL. This kind of exodus is usually only seen from a party which fully expects to lose control in November. All five of these Republicans just became committee chairs in 2023 - just last year - and they are already heading out the door after 2024.

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RAP SHEET. A husband and wife from Texas have been found guilty of assaulting police at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Video from police cameras showed Mark and Jalise Middleton pushed, grabbed, and hit officers manning a barricade outside the building. They will be sentenced in June.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  February 15, 1836.  On this date, the Senate was embroiled in a debate over calls to abolish slavery in Washington, D.C.  Many lawmakers in the North were not pleased, like Sen. Nathaniel Tallmadge of New York, who called it 'ill-judged as well as ill-timed.'  "No one can view with more sincere regret nor with greater repugnance than I do the attempts of the abolitionists to disturb the peace and quiet of the country," Tallmadge said on the Senate floor.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House meets at 10 am.

The Senate is back for votes on February 26.

Check President Biden’s schedule.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.

Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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