Ye scurvy dogs in the Biden crew be tryin' to keep a Chinese spy balloon hidden, but the Congress busted 'em! Arrr, what a tale!
2023-12-23
Arrr, word be goin' 'round that the Biden crew had a sneaky plan to keep the good folks in the dark 'bout a spyin' Chinese balloon driftin' into our American skies. Ahoy, shiver me timbers!
Despite assurances from Biden administration officials that the Chinese spy balloon did not collect or transmit data, a previously unreported phone call suggests that top officials were hiding information about the balloon. According to NBC News, a January 27 phone call between President Biden’s top military adviser, Gen. Mark Milley, and NORAD chief Gen. Glen VanHerck sheds light on China's surveillance balloon.It was reported that the administration initially intended to keep the balloon's existence a secret from Congress and the public. One former senior U.S. official revealed that there was an intention to study the balloon and let it pass over without informing anyone. However, a senior Biden administration official denied allegations of concealment, stating that decisions were made to protect sensitive intelligence capabilities.
During the phone call, Milley informed VanHerck that the Pentagon planned to send F-22 jets and other aircraft to gauge the characteristics of the object. Soon after, U.S. military jets determined that the object was a balloon with a massive surveillance payload but no offensive capabilities.
President Biden was not briefed on the balloon until February 1, and the public only learned about it on February 2 when NBC News broke the story. VanHerck warned that the Chinese balloon program remains active, and the U.S. has not developed systems to detect and track the craft effectively.
According to officials, the reveal of the spy balloon in early 2023 caused significant problems for China-U.S. relations. They claimed that the reputational consequences outweighed the balloon entering U.S. airspace. The delay in shooting down the craft was attributed to safety precautions, as it was carrying several thousand pounds of equipment. The U.S. eventually shot down the balloon over open water off the coast of South Carolina, leading to questions about why it wasn't done earlier when it crossed water near Alaska.