(New York Post) President Biden told Americans on Thursday there was no evidence that a trio of unidentified flying objects shot down following the downing of a Chinese spy balloon were nefarious — in his first comments on the unprecedented military action in North American airspace after five full days of silence.
“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were,” Biden said of the devices shot down off the Alaskan coast, over Canada’s Yukon Territory and over Lake Huron.
“But nothing, nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy balloon program, or that they were surveillance vehicles from any other country. The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects are most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreational or research institutions, studying weather or conducting other scientific research.”
The president’s remarks were announced with just one hour’s warning after Biden returned from his annual physical Thursday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Biden said the three objects shot down over the weekend were likely not from any spy balloon program.AFP via Getty Images
Biden, who did not take reporter questions at the end of his seven-minute statement, also gave his most expansive remarks yet on the Feb. 4 shoot-down of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina — after the craft was allowed to cruise through US airspace.
“I gave the order to shoot it down as soon as it would be safe to do so,” Biden said. “The military advised against shooting it down over land because of the sheer size. … Instead, we tracked it closely. We analyzed its capabilities, and we learned more about how it operates.”
Critics have questioned whether Biden ordered the spate of missions because he was stung by criticism of his decision to allow the Chinese spy balloon to hover over sensitive US facilities from Alaska to South Carolina before ordering its downing off the Atlantic coast on Feb. 4.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters ahead of Biden’s remarks that he would describe his “decisive response to China’s high-altitude surveillance balloon and the president putting the safety and security of the American people always first” — foreshadowing his defensive posture.
Biden ordered US jets to shoot down an unidentified object Friday off Alaska’s Arctic coastline, again Saturday over Canada’s Yukon Territory and Sunday over Lake Huron.
