Officials Call to Shoot Down the Alleged China Spy Balloon: ‘Take the Shot’

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Screenshot; Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Outrage over the alleged Chinese spy balloon hovering over the northwestern United States is mounting as Biden administration officials do “nothing” and some officials call for immediate action to be taken.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that it appears to be a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” but contended that the United States is monitoring it and it does not pose a threat. 

He said in part:

The U.S. government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.

Leland Wells / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX

China’s Foreign Ministry initially denied knowledge of the balloon, only to later shift its story, asserting it is a “civilian airship” gathering weather research. China claimed its entrance into United States airspace was not intentional. 

Indeed, the United States has not taken action to remove the suspected Chinese spy balloon, prompting outrage from the likes of former President Donald Trump, who urged “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”

Others have expressed similar sentiments and outrage at the Biden administration’s inaction.

“I know I was just named to the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday but I’m going to go out on a limb and say we shouldn’t have a Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States of America,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said, and insisted, “take it down”:

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) listed a few of the egregious acts of China — from stealing intellectual property to flying a “spy balloon over our country” — and lamented that Biden does “nothing” about it:

“Maybe if the Biden Administration wasn’t so worried about banning your gas stoves, they would have seen this Chinese spy balloon coming,” he added in another tweet:

“It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said.

“This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently,” he added:

Donald Trump Jr. echoed the sentiments of his father. 

“How many insane decisions… or lack of intelligent decisions (a la watching a spy balloon & not shooting it down) have been made because Joe Biden and his family are compromised by our enemies?” he asked:

“Why won’t Biden shoot down the Chinese spy balloon that is currently flying over the United States?” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked. 

“The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to our existence,” she added:

In another social media update, Blackburn added, “The CCP spy balloon is as much about weather as the Confucius Institutes are about education.  It is all called SPYING”:

On Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said Biden needs to “answer why he has not secured U.S. airspace”:

“Shoot. It. Down. The Chinese spy balloon is clear provocation. In Montana we do not bow. We shoot it down. Take the shot,” Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) added:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly canceled his visit to China amid the suspicions surrounding the Chinese spy balloon.

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