After the Chinese spy balloon was shot down in the Atlantic not far off the coast of the Carolinas, it quickly became obvious how the Biden administration was going to try and spin the story.
Here’s part of the Defense Department’s statement with the part obviously intended to be picked up by the media highlighted:
Long before the shoot down, U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon’s collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. analysts to examine sensitive Chinese equipment. “I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon’s collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us,” the official said. “I can’t go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable.”
The balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. Still its intrusion into American airspace over several days was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.
Naturally the media picked up on that (as the Biden admin obviously intended), and former officials in Trump’s intelligence office John Ratcliffe and Richard Grenell immediately called BS:
Biden’s DoD is shamelessly using an anonymous source to say that Chinese balloons flew over the US under Trump – and the Trump team allowed it.
It is a lie. We never heard this – ever.
Congress should demand @SecDef tell the truth. Shame on @JakeSullivan46.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 5, 2023
Here is former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, telling @MariaBartiromo the Trump-era Chinese balloon incursions claimed by an unnamed Biden administration official did not happen: https://t.co/741fPoaZ9A
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 5, 2023
To start the week, knowing that the media will dutifully stick to whatever narratives they’ve been fed, the Biden administration has reportedly offered to brief former Trump officials on the new preferred talking point:
Biden aides say the intel community is willing to offer key Trump officials briefings on China’s surveillance program. They say details were found after Trump left office about balloons that briefly flew over the US as well areas in Europe and Asia.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 6, 2023
Grenell’s a firm “no” on this offer (because it would only help fuel and legitimize the bogus narrative):
It’s a hard no from me.
The entire Biden team has been lying and are now scrambling to get help in the coverup.
You shouldn’t have believed their anonymous source tale in the first place. https://t.co/gsYcaTtzeL
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 6, 2023
The Biden admin knows that most of the media will run with any “anonymous source tale” as long as it makes Trump look bad and takes some heat off of Biden.
If there was even one #ChineseSpyBalloon during Trump's administration:
A. Trump would've taken credit for destroying it when it happened.
B. He damn sure wouldn't have let it travel freely across the U.S. collecting intel on us before shooting it down.— Angela.Kay (@DeepSouthProud) February 6, 2023
Bingo!
It took four days for Biden to shoot down a spy balloon over US soil.
It took one day for him to blame his predecessor who hasn't been in office for over two years.
— Jeff Richman (@jcrichman) February 6, 2023
But “the buck stops here,” or something.
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Related:
Ratcliffe, Grenell call BS on sudden ‘discoveries’ about Trump admin and Chinese spy balloons
CNN pushes new hot talking point about ‘Chinese spy balloons under Trump’ (and look who wrote it)
Dr. Jill Biden praises her husband and the military for taking down the spy balloon safely
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