Biden Considering Public Address On Chinese Spy Balloon and Other Objects Shot Down by US Military
The Biden administration is considering a public address regarding the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon and other unidentified objects in North American airspace. The balloon was tracked by the US military for a week before it crossed into the continental US and was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.
The balloon then moved eastward and was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4 by US fighter jets. As CNN has reported, the US intelligence community last year developed a method of tracking what it says is a fleet of Chinese balloons operating globally.[0]
Under pressure from Democrats and Republicans, President Joe Biden is considering giving a speech in the coming days to address the Chinese spy balloon and the three other objects that have been shot down over the US and Canada in the last two weeks, according to two senior administration officials.
The US military delayed shooting down the balloon until it was over water off the coast of South Carolina to ensure no Americans on the ground were harmed.[1] The White House has reportedly been weighing whether the president should publicly address the fact that the balloon and three other objects were recently shot down by the US military.[2]
The Biden administration on Wednesday will brief John Bolton about the Chinese spy balloons that flew into US airspace during the Trump administration, and the former national security adviser said he plans to “ask for all the details, top to bottom.”
White House officials have been privately discussing whether Biden should deliver an address about the military shooting down the Chinese spy balloon and three other objects that have still not been identified.
The White House has attempted to dispel the suggestion that Biden’s decisions to quickly take down the three high-altitude objects between Friday and Sunday were the result of political pressure.[3] Senators Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have submitted a resolution decrying the Chinese government for its “brazen violation of United States sovereignty” through the use of a supposed espionage balloon.[3]
This report was contributed to by Jeremy Herb, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Manu Raju, Haley Britzky, Morgan Rimmer and Natasha Bertrand of CNN.[4] Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, stated there is “no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.[5]“.[5]
0. “US intel assessing possibility that Chinese spy balloon's path over US was accidental” CNN, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/politics/us-intel-china-balloon/index.html
1. “F-22 Safely Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off South Carolina Coast” Department of Defense, 4 Feb. 2023, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3288543/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast
2. “Joe Biden to Finally Break Silence on UFOs in White House Speech” Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-breaks-silence-ufos-white-house-speech-1781681
3. “Biden could deliver remarks this week addressing downed objects, sources say” erienewsnow.com, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48389333/biden-could-deliver-remarks-this-week-addressing-downed-objects-sources-say
4. “Biden could deliver remarks this week addressing downed objects, sources say” CNN, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/politics/president-speech-downed-objects/index.html
5. “Sen. Jim Risch: Chinese spy balloon represents ‘an invasion' but didn't fly over sensitive sites in Idaho” The Spokesman Review, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/feb/15/sen-jim-risch-chinese-spy-balloon-represents-an-in
