>>> AND WELCOME BACK TO "AMERICA DECIDES." WE NOW KNOW THAT THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MIKE TURNER'S CRYPTIC WARNING ABOUT A SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT HAS TO DO WITH RUSSIA DEVELOPING A SPACE-BASED ANTISATELLITE WEAPON THAT WOULD VIOLATE THE TREATY BANNING NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN SPACE. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS UPDATED THE PUBLIC THIS AFTERNOON. >> THIS IS NOT AN ACTIVE CAPABILITY THAT HAS BEEN DEPLOYED, AND THE RUSSIA'S PURSUIT OF THIS CAPABILITY IS TROUBLING THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE THREAT TO ANYONE'S SAFETY. >> JOINING US NOW TO BREAK THIS DOWN IS MARGARET BRENNAN, CHIEF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, AND MODERATOR OF FACE THE NATION. THANK YOU FOR JOINING. KIRBY WAS SAYING HE HAS D BROUGHT CONCERNS ABOUT THE CLASSIFYING. >> YOU DON'T OFTEN SEE HIM READ A STATEMENT, BUT HE IS TALKING ABOUT DECLASSIFIED TALKING POINTS. THERE IS LIMITED INFORMATION THEY CAN DISCLOSE AT THIS POINT. ONE OF THE REASONS HE SAID WAS BECAUSE THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ONLY ARRIVED AT A HIGHER DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE IN ITS ASSESSMENT WITHIN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AND DISCLOSING IT WOULD REVEAL SOURCES AND METHODS. 1967 TREATY, THAT HAS TO DO WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN SPACE. WE KNOW THERE IS SOME NUCLEAR COMPONENT TO WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT OUT OF RUSSIA IS ABOUT. BUT WHAT WE KNOW FOR A FACT IS THAT THIS CLASSIFIED COMPARTMENTED INTELLIGENCE WAS SHARED IN THE CLASSIFIED SETTING, WITH THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS. THAT WAS CLEARED BY THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THAT INFORMATION TO BE SHARED. THEY THEN WENT INTO PRIVATE, WERE SO CONCERNED BY WHAT THEY LEARNED, THAT ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS VOTED 23-1, TO SAY MORE LAWMAKERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THEY FELT IT NEEDED TO BE DEALT WITH, POLICY -WISE, THAT IT COULDN'T BE CLOSELY HELD INFORMATION, THAT IT WAS HIGH LEVEL OF CONCERN THAT OTHERS NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT. IN TERMS OF WHAT WE SHARED TODAY WITH THE GANG OF FOUR, JUST THE TOP LEADERS, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER CAME TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS, AND WE KNOW AT THE TAIL END OF THAT THEY WILL ALSO REEF THE SENATE AT THE END OF THE MONTH. >> LEADERS ARE COMING OUT, AND ADDRESSING. IF, IF RUSSIA WERE ACTUALLY TO DEPLOY SUCH A WEAPON, I KNOW THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING THIS IS STILL A FAR-OFF IDEA, IF THIS WERE ACTUALLY TO HAPPEN, IS THE U.S. PREPARED FOR THIS KIND OF EVENT? >> AND THAT IS THE ARGUMENT FOR DECENT DECLASSIFICATION, SHARING WITH OTHER LAWMAKERS, THAT IS WHAT THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE NUMBERS, BOTH THE RANKING IN THE CHAIR, SO DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE SINGING THIS IS SERIOUS AND NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH, AND SHARING ALLOWS FOR THAT CONVERSATION, WHAT DO WE DO? THIS WOULD INDICATE A NEED CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OR SOME KIND OF POLICY FOR LAWMAKERS TO BE PART OF. WHAT I KNOW FROM OUR REPORTING IS THIS TEST TO DO WITH THE COSMOS PROGRAM. THIS IS A RUSSIAN PROGRAM THAT HAS TO DO WITH LAUNCHES CARRYING TOP-SECRET PAYLOADS THAT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE HAS APPROVED AND SAID THAT THEY ARE CONDUCTING THE SPECIFICS OF THAT ARE WHERE WE ARE STUCK RIGHT NOW. BUT WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME BY LAWMAKERS, POLICYMAKERS, WEAPONS EXPERTS, IS THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED FOR THE QUESTION OF HOW DOES IT CHALLENGE AMERICA'S DOMINANCE, THE GEOSTRATEGIC BALANCE OF POWER? THAT'S WHY IT MATTERS. SPEAKER JOHNSON SAID HE ASKED TO MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT ABOUT IT. THAT IS HOW JAKE SULLIVAN ENDED UP ON CAPITOL HILL DAY. >> THERE ARE A LOT OF FAST- MOVING PARTS HERE. HE SPOKE WITH JEN EASTERLY, DIRECTOR OF THE CYBER SECURITY AGENCY. WHAT DID SHE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS? >> THE DIRECTOR SPOKE WITH ME ABOUT HER RECENT TRIP TO UKRAINE , AND THAT CONCERNED BROADLY ABOUT RUSSIA, AND THE THREAT IT POSES. I ASKED HER ABOUT THIS WEAPONIZATION OF SPACE, AND THIS NEW DISCLOSURE. SHE COULD NOT GET INTO THE DETAILS, BUT SHE SAID DON'T LOOK AT THESE THINGS IN A VACUUM. THE WAR IN UKRAINE SHOULD BE SEEN AS A BROADER INDICATION OF RUSSIA'S INTENT AND THREAT. TAKE A LISTEN. >> I THINK IT JUST FURTHER REINFORCES THE FACT THAT RUSSIA IS A VERY REAL THREAT. IT'S A THREAT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY. IT'S A THREAT TO GLOBAL SECURITY. IT'S A THREAT TO ALL OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. WE KNOW SPACE IS A KEY PIECE OF THAT, AND IT JUST REINFORCES THE POINT WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING THAT FURTHER EMPOWERS PUTIN AND HIS ABILITY TO, IF UKRAINE FALLS, HIS ABILITY TO THEN GO INTO EUROPE. >> OVERSEAS, THE AGENCY THAT TRIES TO PROTECT U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE, JUST THINK ABOUT HOW INTERCONNECTED SATELLITES ARE WITH BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT NOT JUST THE GOVERNMENT, BUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND WHAT YOU AND I USE ON A DAILY BASIS IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY. SO THIS BROADER THREAT OF RUSSIA BEING WILLING TO BLOW PAST NORMS, INTERNATIONAL TREATIES, THERE IS A REASON JOHN KIRBY BROUGHT UP THIS IDEA THE WORLD AGREED NOT TO DO THIS, WE THINK RUSSIA IS DOING IT FOR A REASON, BECAUSE OF THOSE CONTINUED CHALLENGING OF LAWS AND NORMS. >> I THINK THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYDAY AMERICANS WHO WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. INTERESTING TO CONNECT THE DOTS WHEN REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS ARE PUSHING BACK VERY CRITICAL OF FUNDING FOR UKRAINE-- >> THE SPEAKER WON'T ENTERTAIN THE VOTE ON THAT
