Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said a lack of transparency regarding unidentified flying objects shot down over North American airspace is “concerning and deeply troubling.” Three more objects were shot down over the weekend.
The White House held a full Senate meeting Tuesday morning to discuss the three objects that were shot down over Alaska, Yukon Territory in Canada, and Michigan. However, many senators, including Lee, are calling on President Joe Biden to provide more transparency on the matter to Congress and the public.
SENATORS DEMAND TRANSPARENCY FROM BIDEN FOLLOWING CLASSIFIED UFO BRIEFING
“Following the briefing, it is unclear as to whether these incidents are a series of extremely significant events being downplayed by the White House, or inconsequential incidents being exaggerated and blown out of proportion,” Lee said in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon.
“It is baffling and frustrating that these ‘objects’ had to be taken down with fighter jets and missiles, yet we still do not know anything about them and still don’t have them in our possession,” he continued.
3/4 It is baffling and frustrating that these “objects” had to be taken down with fighter jets and missiles, yet we still do not know anything about them and still don’t have them in our possession.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 14, 2023
Biden administration staff and officials have previously said that the objects do not appear to be part of the Chinese surveillance program and do not resemble the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4, one week after it entered North American airspace over the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters earlier in the day that the objects could have been the property of private companies or for benign purposes, something senators are questioning.
“What’s interesting to me is if it is commercial, why wouldn’t whoever launched that just resolve the issue?” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) asked. “I’m not aware of any public reports of any civilian or commercial entity claiming responsibility for it.”
Defense and intelligence officials told reporters last week that similar incursions occurred “at least three times” during the Trump administration and an additional time in the Biden administration. However, Trump officials have denied the reports, stating that it is a tactic by the Biden administration to deflect from the situation at hand. Former Trump White House national security adviser John Bolton is set to receive a briefing on the three objects Wednesday.
Both parties are calling on Biden to update the public with the information known so far. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said there were “no major revelations” from the meeting, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said that “99% of the information that we were just briefed on, there’s no reason it can’t be shared with the American people.”
“I think the public needs and deserves to know more,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said. “A lot of what we’ve been told are facts that the American people could know and should know, without any harm to our national security. I’ve urged repeatedly that on this topic and others, the administration could be more forthcoming.”
Kirby updated senators on the search for debris off the South Carolina coast. Debris from the three other objects has not yet been recovered, and no timeline for recovery was given.
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Lee said he was left with a lot of questions following the briefing.
“President Joe Biden’s lack of transparency is concerning and deeply disturbing,” Lee said. “We must find out the truth of what is happening and have it explained to the American people. Without this crucial information, we cannot assess what safety and security threats we might be facing.”
