In the past few hours, additional information has come to light explaining why former President Donald Trump never had the opportunity to shoot down Chinese spy balloons.
Anonymous former U.S. government officials, as reported in the media, revealed these new details. Meanwhile, Trump and top members of his administration publicly refuted allegations from President Biden's national security team that such balloons had flown over the U.S. during their tenure.
Officials from the Trump administration informed Bloomberg that the evaluation of unidentified objects took several weeks, as the Chinese surveillance balloons had jamming systems that obscured their purpose. The news report then straightforwardly states: "The former president was never given the chance to shoot down the balloons."
A different report from POLITICO stated that lower-ranking officials detected various balloon activities over U.S. territories in recent years. Citing a former high-ranking Defense Department official, the article reported that the intelligence community determined in 2020 that the "significantly smaller" balloons detected off Virginia's coast were Chinese radar jamming devices.
The disagreement between former Trump officials and the Biden administration started after the U.S. government acknowledged a possible Chinese reconnaissance balloon hovering at a high altitude over the country last week. The military shot down the balloon with a fighter jet on Saturday, as it had flown over the coast of the Carolinas and the Pentagon expressed concerns about falling debris over land. The U.S. then conducted a salvage operation. China denies the balloon was a spy device and asserts it was a weather balloon that had been blown off course.
The United States has shot down the high altitude balloon from China at the centre of a spying scandal. President Joe Biden ordered the strike, the spectacular show of force happening live on TV. https://t.co/b3nAU1JF34 @telester #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/ZUJ3paV47B
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) February 5, 2023
During this national security issue, Republicans and members of Trump's administration criticized Biden on various media platforms for allowing the balloon to reach as far as it did. It was then that a high-ranking U.S. defense official first revealed that Chinese government surveillance balloons "transited the mainland U.S. briefly at least three times during the previous administration and once that we are aware of at the start of this administration, but never for this length of time."
Former Trump-era officials, including former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, expressed skepticism about this statement. Trump vehemently denied it, saying "This never happened. It would have never happened," in a statement to Fox News.
Subsequently, there were reports citing a high-ranking Biden official who claimed that Chinese spy balloons over the U.S. during the Trump administration were detected after he left office. It was later disclosed that the Pentagon informed Congress about sightings near Florida and Texas. “Currently, we understand there were incursions near Florida and Texas, but we don’t have clarity on what kind of systems were on these balloons or if these incursions occurred in territorial waters or overflew land,” said Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL).
A source within the intelligence community informed CNN that they are prepared to present their findings to key officials in the Trump administration through briefings.
Trending Political News
Pamela Anderson Drops Massive Accusation on Tim Allen - He Denies It
Pamela Anderson, known for her role on "Baywatch," alleges in her recently published book that Tim Allen exposed himself to her while they were on the set of "Home Improvement" when she was 23. However, Allen denies the incident occurred.
As reported by entertainment website Variety, Anderson's upcoming book "Love, Pamela" includes an account of an incident in which she claims Tim Allen opened his robe and exposed himself to her. She states that he did this because he wanted to even the playing field after seeing her in the nude in Playboy magazine.
Tom Brady Goes on Profanity-Laced Tirade When Asked About His Future
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady gave an expletive-laden response this week when questioned about his football future.
Brady was asked on the "Let's Go!" podcast if he has made a decision regarding his continuation in playing another season in the league.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Gives Insane Suggestion to Help Avoid Being Mugged
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated in a public address that one of the ways to decrease crime in the city is for citizens to try and avoid carrying cash, as reported by News Channel 20.
Mayor Lightfoot, who is running for re-election, discussed safety concerns in a debate between candidates. Safety is a top concern among the citizens of Chicago.
White House Press Secretary Ripped for 'Shameless' Claim She Made While Deflecting Blame on Gas Prices
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, faced significant backlash on social media following her statement at Monday's conference that House Republicans aim to increase gas prices.
At the press conference, Jean-Pierre immediately accused the GOP, who now hold a slim majority in the House, of intending to increase gas prices through their latest bill.
Bad News for People Sharing Passwords on Netflix
According to a recent Forbes report, Netflix plans to begin offering a paid option for customers who wish to share their passwords with individuals outside their household in the near future. The company has previously expressed concerns about password sharing, but it now appears that they have a definite plan to implement this change in the first quarter of this year. This means that the feature is expected to be available by the end of March.
Peter Doocy Catches Karine Jean-Pierre Off Guard with 'Four Letter Word' Question and All She Can Do is Laugh
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy always finds a way to be a major source of difficulty for White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
After the revelation that the FBI had discovered six additional classified "items" during a 12-hour search of President Joe Biden's Wilmington, Delaware, residence on Friday, Jean-Pierre probably had an uneasy feeling as she called on Doocy during Monday's press briefing.
Leave a Reply