What in the world just happened?
President Biden delivered remarks about the Chinese spy balloon and the other “objects” that were subsequently shot down, and he raised more questions than he answered (actually Biden answered NO questions).
First, the Chinese spy balloon. We now know the Defense Intelligence Agency had eyes on it practically from the moment it was set aloft from China but nobody said anything until a reporter spotted the balloon over Montana:
A day before the suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace over Alaska, the Defense Intelligence Agency quietly sent an internal report that a foreign object was headed towards US territory, military and intelligence officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
The report – also known as a “tipper” – was disseminated through classified channels accessible across the US government. But it wasn’t flagged as an urgent warning and top defense and intelligence officials who saw it weren’t immediately alarmed by it, according to sources. Sources familiar with the report said that the White House was not made aware of the DIA report, and President Joe Biden was not briefed on it.
Instead of treating it as an immediate threat, the US moved to investigate the object, seeing it as an opportunity to observe and collect intelligence.
Today Biden delivered remarks on this topic, and on the subject of the Chinese spy balloon Biden obviously wanted to make it sound like he was sending a strong message to the CCP: “Make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people I will take it down.”
Biden didn’t add “after it’s been allowed to fly across the entire United States.”
The part that stuck out to me the most, however, was that Biden admitted that the other “objects” that were shot down are still a mystery and likely private property (i.e. weather balloons):
Biden says the three objects that he ordered shot down last week after they let the Chinese spy balloon fly across the country were most likely weather balloons. pic.twitter.com/RvePtENh21
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 16, 2023
Joe Biden says he shot down three random objects that had nothing to do with China. What a complete and total embarrassment this entire administration is: pic.twitter.com/oMifJF2NIi
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 16, 2023
So let this be a message to anybody who operates weather balloons:
"If any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down," Biden said in a speech about the series of objects the US downed over the past 2 weeks https://t.co/xtUBl9qzBb pic.twitter.com/Fn2zqfmBZL
— Bloomberg (@business) February 16, 2023
Katie Pavlich sums up what’s happened, and it’s something else:
Biden says we still don't know what the "objects" are but that they aren't tied to China. Instead likely belong to private companies for scientific research.
Biden used $400,000 missiles to shoot down weather balloons after allowing Chinese spy balloon to travel the country.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 16, 2023
Something tells me the country might not be in the best of hands.
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Related:
A new wrench has been thrown into the Biden WH’s Chinese spy balloon spin
Biden downplays Chinese spy balloon as ‘not a major breach’ (everybody does it)
Tucker Carlson dissects ‘pure absurdity’ of WH & media’s Chinese spy balloon spin
