Congressional Republicans responded with criticism and questions after the Biden administration reportedly shot down a third unidentified object Saturday.
According to reports, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) first detected the third object over Alaska sometime Friday. After the object moved into Canadian airspace, U.S. and Canadian forces worked together to eliminate it.
Responses flowed in soon after. Leading the charge was Rep. Matt Rosendale, who questioned why the Biden administration has been quick to shoot down “small” objects but had taken nearly a week to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon.
Look:
Can the Biden Admin please explain why they shot down two relatively small “objects” over Alaskan and Canadian airspace this week, but allowed a known Chinese Spy balloon to collect and transmit data about our country for a week before it was brought down? https://t.co/axShNBVMOv
— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) February 11, 2023
Recall that earlier this month a Chinese spy balloon appeared over U.S. airspace and congressional Republicans rushed to demand that President Joe Biden shoot it down.
To his credit, the president eventually ordered the balloon to be shot down, but only days after the balloon was spotted by the public flying over Montana.
Fast-forward to Friday, when an unidentified object appeared over U.S. airspace. This time the president didn’t wait to pull the trigger.
“I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby announced Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution and the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object. And they did. And it came in inside our territorial waters,” he added.
What Rosendale wanted to know is why the president quickly shot down the Friday object and Saturday object — but waited a week to take down the Chinese spy balloon.
Republicans having ‘I told you so’ moment after second object shot down over Alaska https://t.co/MUISYSPw2L
— NoisyRoom (@terresamonroe) February 11, 2023
Next up was Sen. Lisa Murkowski. She called for “maximum transparency.”
“As we learn more about these objects, I will continue to encourage maximum transparency so that Alaskans have the greatest possible understanding of what they are and what we are doing, on the front line of our nation’s defense, to take them safely out of the sky,” she said in a statement.
The most controversial response came from Rep. Nancy Mace, who accused the Biden administration of knowing exactly what these “objects” are.
“Any suggestion that the administration does not know what these objects are is an absolute lie. There’s no way that an F-22 pilot or any other fighter pilot is going to shoot an object in U.S. airspace or nearby without knowing what that is, or getting clearance once they do identify what that object is. So once again, Congress is being kept in the dark right now,” she told Fox News.
See more GOP reactions to the third object below:
Another unidentified flying object has been detected now in northern Montana.
The American people deserve answers.
— Congressman Troy E. Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) February 12, 2023
Closely monitoring reports of an unidentified object shot down by @NORADCommand over Canada. We need to know what happened and specifics on how this incursion was answered.
— Senator Deb Fischer (@SenatorFischer) February 12, 2023
Sadly, open land border encourages open air border. With terrorists by land and spy objects by air, American families are at greater risk of attack than ever before. Failed policies of Biden must be reversed to protect American families.
— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) February 12, 2023
The third object has now been shot down in a week over US or Canada’s airspace. We’re being tested. I applaud the President’s quick reaction on the last two. There’s a lot to learn, but defending our sovereignty and keeping our air defenses strong remain our priorities.
— Rep. Don Bacon (@RepDonBacon) February 12, 2023
Instead of focusing on the foreign objects flying over our airspace or the invasion at our southern border, DHS is focusing on counterfeit jerseys at the Super Bowl.
Talk about a feckless administration. pic.twitter.com/tgEDEJuzvq
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 11, 2023
Not much is known about the third object.
“The object appears to be a ‘cylindrical object’ smaller than the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down previously, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said at a news conference on Saturday,” according to CNN.
The decision to shoot it down was made by both U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian President Justin Trudeau.
“President Biden authorized US fighter aircraft assigned to NORAD to conduct the operation and a US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities,” the White House said in a statement.
“The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin,” the statement continued.
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Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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