Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is not buying China’s latest excuse for the alleged spy balloon hovering over the northern portion of the U.S., suggesting that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is simply lying and using it to spy on the nation.
The U.S. military confirmed this week it was tracking what it believes is a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the northern portion of the country. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder described it as a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” which he claimed does not pose a threat to the U.S. However, he said the U.S. could continue to monitor it.
A high-altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
The Biden administration’s action — or lack thereof — has prompted outrage from several U.S. lawmakers, some of whom have called to shoot down the balloon completely.
“Shoot. It. Down. The Chinese spy balloon is clear provocation. In Montana we do not bow. We shoot it down. Take the shot,” Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) said on social media, later adding, “I’d pull the trigger if they let me”:
Shoot. It. Down.
The Chinese spy balloon is clear provocation. In Montana we do not bow. We shoot it down.
Take the shot.
— Ryan Zinke (@RyanZinke) February 3, 2023
I’d pull the trigger if they let me. https://t.co/XymExY3XDD
— Ryan Zinke (@RyanZinke) February 3, 2023
Former President Donald Trump also called to “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”
While China’s Foreign Ministry feigned ignorance in regard to the alleged spy balloon, it later admitted knowledge of the balloon, calling it a “civilian airship” which veered off course, gathering meteorological data.
Blackburn is not buying it.
“The CCP spy balloon is as much about weather as the Confucius Institutes are about education,” she said. “It is all called SPYING”:
The CCP spy balloon is as much about weather as the Confucius Institutes are about education.
It is all called SPYING.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 3, 2023
“If you had any doubts of the length the CCP will go to spy on you, you have proof in the sky over Montana,” she added:
If you had any doubts of the length the CCP will go to spy on you, you have proof in the sky over Montana.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 3, 2023
On Thursday night, Blackburn asked why the Biden administration has refused to shoot the balloon down.
“The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to our existence,” she added:
Why won't Biden shoot down the Chinese spy balloon that is currently flying over the United States?
The Chinese Communist Party is a threat to our existence.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 2, 2023
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Nin provided little details about the balloon, claiming that the CCP “always act[s] in accordance with international law.”
“We have no intention to violate the territory or airspace of any sovereign country,” she added, expressing hope that “both sides can handle the matter together in a cool-headed and prudent manner.”
China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday morning said it regretted “the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure.”
It remains unclear how the Biden administration will handle the alleged spy balloon from here, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly canceled his scheduled trip to China, according to reports.
“That Is NOT the Moon!” Montana Resident Spots Suspected Chinese Surveillance Balloon — WATCH below:
Leland Wells / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX
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