Money Control Place
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Investing

Money Control Place

Politics

Biden admin’s top officials attempted to ‘conceal’ Chinese spy balloon from public, Congress exposed: report

by December 24, 2023
December 24, 2023
Biden admin’s top officials attempted to ‘conceal’ Chinese spy balloon from public, Congress exposed: report

Despite Biden administration officials assuring the American public that the Chinese spy balloon did not collect and transmit data, a previously unreported phone call paints a different picture of top officials hiding information about the balloon.

According to NBC News, a previously unreported Jan. 27 phone call between President Joe Biden’s top military adviser, Gen. Mark Milley and NORAD chief Gen. Glen VanHerck sheds lights about China’s surveillance balloon.

The administration initially hoped to keep the balloon’s existence a secret from Congress and the public, the outlet reported, citing multiple former and current administration and congressional officials.

‘Before it was spotted publicly, there was the intention to study it and let it pass over and not ever tell anyone about it,’ one former senior U.S. official told NBC.

A senior Biden administration official denied allegations that they attempt to conceal the incident, saying decisions were made to protect sensitive intelligence capabilities.

‘To the extent any of this was kept quiet at all, that was in large part to protect intel equities related to finding and tracking them,’ the official told NBC. ‘There was no intention to keep this from Congress at any point.’

During the Jan. 27 phone call, Milley called VanHerck, and said the Pentagon planned to send up F-22 jets and other aircraft alongside the object and attempt to gauge its characteristics.

Soon after that call, U.S. military jets used targeting pods to determine the object was a balloon the size of three school buses and equipped with a massive surveillance payload but no offensive capabilities, NBC reported.

Biden was not briefed on the balloon until Feb. 1, NBC reported. The public did not hear about the Chinese spy balloon until Feb. 2, when NBC News broke the story.

VanHerck warned that the Chinese balloon program remains active and that the U.S. has failed to develop systems to detect and track the craft.

‘It exposed significant gaps, long range gaps, for us to be able to see potential threats to the homeland.’ VanHerck said. ‘I think that opened the eyes of a lot of people.’

The top military official said that the U.S. is ‘not where it needs to be’ in the development of ‘deterrence options.’

‘Time is the opportunity to create deterrence options or, if required, defeat options,’ he said, adding that the U.S. is still ‘not where we need to be.’

According to the outlet, Biden officials privately lamented the public outcry and consequences of the spy balloon’s reveal in early 2023.

Officials, in their view, claimed that the spy balloon’s reputational consequences for China and U.S. relations posed a far graver threat than the balloon entering U.S. airspace.

‘It caused so many problems,’ one senior administration official said.

President Biden’s White House has stated the delay in shooting down the surveillance craft was due to safety precautions as the balloon was carrying several thousand pounds of equipment.

The U.S. eventually shot down the craft over open water off the coast of South Carolina, leading to questions about why that wasn’t done as it crossed water near Alaska.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Week Ahead: NIFTY Takes A Breather After Seven Weeks Of Gains; What To Expect Next?
next post
TikTok insiders slam alleged bias against pro-Israel posts claim company: ‘serve Hamas’ narrative’

Related Posts

Centrist group No Labels sets up panel to...

March 15, 2024

Anti-Israel agitators interrupt Blinken Senate testimony, hauled out...

May 22, 2024

Congressman urges DOJ to probe suspected Iran ‘kill...

June 12, 2023

Federal court rules New Jersey can sue gun...

August 18, 2023

Republicans, some Dem House lawmakers urge Biden to...

October 12, 2023

Trump jabs at Hunter Biden skipping congressional deposition:...

December 14, 2023

Biden faces backlash for Camp David guest after...

June 26, 2023

Trump expected to visit Capitol Hill next week...

October 6, 2023

Trump says Biden ‘will be the nominee’ amid...

June 28, 2024

This Republican presidential candidate is ‘excited’ to be...

August 14, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Latest

    • Run Your Stock Portfolio Like a Pro Sports Team

    • Leadership Rotation Could Confirm Corrective Phase

    • Breakouts, Momentum & Moving Averages: 10 Must-See Stock Charts Right Now

    • 1911 Gold Temporarily Suspends Operations at True North Complex due to Bissett Evacuation Order

    • Ontario Backs Down on Key Bill 5 Provisions, Echoes BC’s Mining Debate

    • Appeals Court Grants Trump Temporary Reprieve on Tariffs, “TACO” Taunts Gain Steam

    Categories

    • Business (1,223)
    • Investing (2,503)
    • Politics (3,699)
    • Stocks (1,614)
    • Uncategorized (20)
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: MoneyControlPlace.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 moneycontrolplace.com | All Rights Reserved