A mysterious high-altitude object was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet on Saturday, and it turns out it was a Chinese surveillance balloon that had been flying over the continental United States for days. Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration for what they view as a slow response to the foreign object, while some conservative leaders and pundits are claiming no other leader such as Donald Trump would have let a Chinese spy balloon fly over the US. But senior Pentagon officials said on Saturday that suspected Chinese surveillance balloons crossed into the US at least three times during the Trump administration and once earlier in the Biden administration.
It’s a story that has the nation’s attention, and it’s a story that has many people asking questions. What was the Chinese spy balloon doing in the US? How long had it been there? And why did it take so long for the Biden administration to respond?
The truth is that the Chinese spy balloon had been spotted three times during the Trump administration, according to US officials. It was also spotted once earlier in the Biden administration, though the details of when these sightings occurred have not been disclosed.
The balloon was large enough to create a large debris field, and Pentagon leaders advised President Joe Biden against immediately shooting it out of the sky due to safety concerns for civilians. The exact dimensions of the device have not been disclosed to the public, but one senior official told ABC News that it was estimated to be the size of three buses.
It’s unclear what information the suspected Chinese spy balloon could have gleaned from its various positions. The Montana area the balloon flew over houses the Malmstrom Air Force Base which has intercontinental ballistic missiles. US officials said the balloon poses little threat in terms of what intelligence it might gather.
Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration’s response to the Chinese spy balloon, while some conservative leaders and pundits are claiming no other leader such as Donald Trump would have let a Chinese spy balloon fly over the US. However, the times when suspected surveillance balloons crossed into the US under the Trump administration were never made public until this past week’s incident.
It’s a story that has the nation’s attention, and it’s a story that has many people asking questions. What was the Chinese spy balloon doing in the US? How long had it been there? And why did it take so long for the Biden administration to respond? It’s a story that’s sure to keep us talking in the days and weeks to come.
Source: www.businessinsider.com