CNN natsec reporter Natasha Bertrand tells us Chinese spy balloon data may not be *that* big a deal

Sarah D | 2:26 PM on April 03, 2023

CNN is physically incapable of covering themselves in too much glory. Seriously.

We already told you about their breathless reporting on every single move Donald Trump makes as he heads from Mar-a-Lago to New York City for his arraignment tomorrow. There is no journalistic nadir to which they will not descend. That’s why as long as Trump is in the air and they can’t get to him, they’ll find other ways to beclown themselves.

And that brings us to CNN national security reporter Natasha Bertrand, who has covered herself in plenty of glory in her own right. Following today’s extremely awkward (awkward for the Biden administration and for the mainstream media, that is) report that the Chinese spy balloon that wasn’t a Chinese spy balloon actually was a Chinese spy balloon that gathered a hell of a lot of data while Joe Biden was busy not having it shot down, Bertrand has decided that instead of acknowledging that the Biden administration royally screwed this one up, she’d just let viewers know that while it could be a big deal, it might not be:

Like the intelligence tool that she is, CNN's Natasha Bertrand shrugs at the Chinese balloon collecting info on U.S. military sites, but her handlers told her they're "not overly concerned b/c they say this was not much more than what a regular Chinese satellite" would get pic.twitter.com/gEFOrwdBGZ

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 3, 2023

At least she does say that there could have been a lot more data transmitted to the Chinese government than the U.S. is aware of. Although there really should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that that’s the case, because the ChiComs aren’t exactly known for minding their own business. Honestly, as a national security reporter, she shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea that it might not be as bad as it seems. Because we all know that it’s way, way worse than it seems.