Washington reacted with mixed reviews to President Biden’s handling of the Chinese spy balloon, with praise and criticism mainly along party lines.
“Joe Biden Tried Globally and Failed Miserably” Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House Republican, tweeted. A few hours after the balloon was dropped.
“The Chinese spy balloon should never have been allowed to enter our sovereign nation to collect intelligence.”
Two US Air Force fighter jets ejected the balloon a week after it breached the US border for the first time.
By the time it was shot down off the coast of North Carolina on Saturday, the spy device had covered more than 4,000 miles of US territory.
Biden admitted that the Pentagon had known about the giant white orb – about the size of three school buses – since it entered US airspace, but that it wanted to keep its knowledge of the balloon a secret. decided.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the administration also decided to allow the balloon to travel across the country because it would be safer to shoot it over water than over land.
“If it was shootable, why was it allowed into the continental United States in the first place? And can its mechanism be recovered and tested? Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) asked.
Democrats were mostly silent about Biden’s decision to shoot down the balloon, but those who did speak took the opportunity to criticize China.
“I strongly condemn President Xi’s brazen incursion into US airspace, and I applaud President Biden’s leadership in launching the Chinese balloon to ensure the safety of all Americans. Can and analyze the technology used by CCP. said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“It’s down, guys!” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) tweeted.
China claims that balloon A “Civil aircraft are used for research.Primarily meteorological, objectives” that had inadvertently entered US airspace.
Republican of Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson said The balloon must have been removed as soon as it entered US territory a few days ago. This failure was as dangerous to our national security as it was unacceptable. The American people deserve answers.
“First Biden refused to defend our borders. Now he won’t defend our skies. said Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“Joe Biden Knew the Chinese Spy Balloon Was Coming,” The House Republican Committee on the Judiciary tweeted. Amidst a long string of condemnatory posts.
“Try to hide it from the American people. Let it fly across the country. And when the whole country begs it to take action, our great military shoots it down. Shameful. Scary. Sad.”
Congressman Matt Rosendale, who represents the city of Billings, Montana, where footage of the balloon first alerted the public to its existence, called for more transparency from the government about the spy device before it was shot down. There was a complaint of lack.
“Now that China has collected information on our infrastructure and military for over a week, we finally brought down the balloon!” he later tweeted It was terminated.
Representative Ryan Zilke, who also represents Montana, suggested that the Biden administration should have taken the opportunity to shoot down the balloon when it was spotted hovering over his state, claiming that its Circles “No bending over. We shot him.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) echoed Zilke’s statement, offering that there was ample opportunity to take the balloon out. The remote areas of Montana or Alaska.
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