Staff Reports
During a briefing with reporters on Friday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby discussed the directive given by President Joe Biden to the United States military to use $400,000 missiles to target aerial hobby and weather balloons over the weekend.
REPORTER: Biden allowed "the Chinese balloon to do what it did, and then went trigger happy on a bunch of kites and balloons!"
KIRBY: "No apologies here." pic.twitter.com/b1JtB0ZrG6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 17, 2023
On Thursday, at a simulated White House located in the Eisenhower Office Building, Biden acknowledged that the military’s destruction of three objects was unnecessary as they were not posing any danger and probably belonged to private entities. This stood in sharp contrast to the Chinese espionage balloon, which was permitted to enter American airspace and conduct surveillance on sensitive nuclear facilities throughout the entire country.
Biden admits he sent the military to shoot down objects that were most likely weather balloons. pic.twitter.com/KMin2zaPDX
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) February 16, 2023
KJP: The government has been unable to salvage unidentified object debris "because of the weather, because it is February…" pic.twitter.com/msVEFSGlxF
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 16, 2023
According to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the debris resulting from the purported shooting down of the objects has yet to be recovered due to inclement weather. In her statement, Jean-Pierre noted, “Due to the weather conditions, obtaining the debris has proved to be extremely challenging, and as a result, we do not have much information to provide on the matter.”
The shooting down of aerial hobby and weather balloons has faced backlash from numerous individuals, with some asserting that it was an unwarranted employment of military might and resources. Meanwhile, others have raised concerns about the entry of a Chinese espionage balloon into American airspace, traveling across the entire nation and gathering intelligence on critical nuclear facilities.
The White House has yet to provide an explanation as to why the Chinese spy balloon was allowed to enter U.S. airspace or why the debris from the objects they claimed to have shot down has not been recovered due to the weather conditions. It is likely that these questions will continue to be asked until the White House provides a clear explanation for their actions.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Townhall
