{"id":2379902,"date":"2024-12-13T15:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T20:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-faces-ballooning-criticism-over-drone-sightings-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-13T15:57:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T20:57:15","slug":"biden-faces-ballooning-criticism-over-drone-sightings-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-faces-ballooning-criticism-over-drone-sightings-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden faces ballooning criticism over drone sightings &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-faces-ballooning-criticism-over-drone-sightings-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2379902&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Joe Biden\u200d is \u200cfacing growing bipartisan criticism\u2063 for his administration&#8217;s handling\u200d of recent drone sightings \u2064in the northeast U.S., with concerns\u200c being raised about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-probe-nsa-for-answers-on-woke-glossary-revealed-by-daily-wire\/\" title=\"House Republicans Probe NSA For Answers On Woke Glossary Revealed By Daily Wire\">potential national\u200c security implications<\/a>. These incidents have drawn \u2062comparisons to last year&#8217;s episode involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which \u200btraversed American airspace for an extended period before being shot down. john Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security council, stated that there \u2064is currently\u2064 no evidence suggesting these sightings \u200cpose any threat and clarified \u200bthat\u2063 many reports may actually <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">involve lawful\u2063 manned aircraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Though,politicians from both parties are expressing dissatisfaction \u2064with the government&#8217;s transparency regarding these\u200c drone sightings,which have been reported in New York,New Jersey,Pennsylvania,and Maryland. Former GOP presidential candidate\u2064 Nikki Haley emphasized that the \u2064government owes the\u200c public clearer information about \u200cthe drones, especially given the\u200b ancient context of the spy balloon incident.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally,Democratic Senators Richard\u200c Blumenthal and cory booker have voiced their concerns about the lack of communication and transparency,suggesting that action against the drones may be necessary. Reports of the drones began surfacing in November, particularly along the New Jersey coast, leading to speculation about \u200dtheir origin, including unconfirmed claims that \u200bthey might belong \u200dto \u200bthe U.S. \u2064government. The Department\u200b of\u2063 Homeland Security,along with the FBI,is reportedly investigating the sightings but has not clarified \u200cif there has been direct communication with the \u2064Pentagon regarding the situation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Biden faces ballooning criticism over unexplained drone sightings<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1910978\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a> is facing bipartisan criticism over his administration&rsquo;s handling of reported <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/drones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"drone sightings\">drone sightings<\/a> in the Northeast, with Republicans drawing comparisons to the alleged Chinese spy balloon that traversed the country last year. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We have no evidence at this time that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-says-no-evidence-reported-drone-flights-pose-threat-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"White House says &#039;no evidence&#039; reported drone flights pose threat - Washington Examiner\">reported drone sightings pose<\/a> a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign Nexus,&rdquo; Biden&rsquo;s National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3259119\/white-house-no-evidence-drone-flights-east-coast-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> reporters Thursday. &ldquo;Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But that explanation isn&rsquo;t sitting well with a growing chorus of politicians from both political parties who say the Biden administration needs to be more involved and more forthcoming about the incidents.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The last time there was an object flying in our skies, they told us it was a weather balloon,&rdquo; former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nikkihaley\/status\/1867241344101503462?s=51&amp;t=oYTIYwEqmPpaQCOEPM8xZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"posted\">posted<\/a> on X. &ldquo;It turned out to be China collecting information on our military installations. Now we are facing a similar situation, no answers. The federal government knows what this is. They owe it to the American people to tell us as this relates to our national security.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Haley and others have compared the situation to the Chinese spy balloon incident from spring 2023, when the Biden administration allowed the object to fly across the continental U.S., including over sensitive military locations, before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2062782\/us-sends-divers-to-recover-downed-chinese-spy-balloon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"shooting it down\">shooting it down<\/a> in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Biden was criticized not only for the delay in taking action but for refusing to even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2572382\/biden-faces-storm-of-criticism-over-chinese-spy-balloon-incursion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"inform the public\">inform the public<\/a> of the balloon&rsquo;s existence until it was spotted by a newspaper photographer in Montana.<\/p>\n<p>With residents of New York, New Jersey, and now Pennsylvania and Maryland saying they&rsquo;ve spotted large drones in the sky for weeks, that criticism is flying around again.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RyanSchmelzFOX\/status\/1867249101378646506\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> Fox News&rsquo;s Ryan Schmelz the drones should be &ldquo;shot down if necessary&rdquo; and that the lack of communication is &ldquo;absolutely unacceptable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Another Democrat, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), said the public deserves &ldquo;a lot more information and a lot more transparency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Reported sightings of the drones began in November, with a high concentration coming in and off the coast of the Garden State. Biden administration officials had previously shot down reports that an Iranian &ldquo;mothership&rdquo; was operating in the Atlantic Ocean and coordinating the drone flights.<\/p>\n<p>Kirby added that the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation are assisting New Jersey officials in investigating the sightings, &ldquo;using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The lack of insight has prompted speculation, including that the drones <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hamandcheese\/status\/1867443553280176534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">belong<\/a> to the U.S. government. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not address whether the agency was in contact with the Pentagon to resolve the reported drones&rsquo; origins.<\/p>\n<p>The mysterious aerial vehicles have been described as resembling small car-sized aircraft and have been flying over a New Jersey military installation, as well as President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s Bedminster private golf resort.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>has contacted the Trump transition team seeking comment.<\/p>\n<p>Rep.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Raja Krishnamoorthi<\/a>&nbsp;(D-IL) suggested Wednesday that the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3256124\/new-jersey-lawmakers-concerned-mysterious-drones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unidentified objects<\/a> could pose a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3259159\/lawmaker-china-spying-fbi-dodges-new-jersey-drones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"national security risk\">national security risk<\/a> from China.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the pressure is yet another member of Biden&rsquo;s political party, Gov.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/phil-murphy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Phil Murphy<\/a>&nbsp;(D-NJ), who called for the federal government to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/national-security\/3260165\/new-jersey-governor-biden-help-drones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"pull more resources\">pull more resources<\/a> into investigating aircraft. <\/p>\n<p>Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said he rode around with New Jersey police officers Thursday evening and saw lights moving low over the tree line, apparently referencing the drones, which were sometimes white and sometimes flashing red and green.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Last night I went out with local police to spot drone flying over New Jersey, here&rsquo;s what I saw. We drove to Round Valley Reservoir and the officer pointed to lights moving low over the tree line. Sometimes they were solid white light, others flashed of red and green.THREAD <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ly7kUUDWDn\">pic.twitter.com\/ly7kUUDWDn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndyKimNJ\/status\/1867582643346571730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Kim said that he hasn&rsquo;t gotten any follow-up from the FBI about its investigation or what it has compiled so far.<\/p>\n<p>Both of New Jersey&rsquo;s senators, along with New York Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), have also sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gillibrand.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/12.11.24-Letter-to-FAA-DHS-FBI-re-Drone-Sightings.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"letter\">letter<\/a> to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Whitaker asking for a briefing on the situation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The sightings have been spotted in areas further south in recent days, including in the Washington, D.C., area. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he personally witnessed some Thursday night just 25 miles from the nation&rsquo;s capital.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovLarryHogan\/status\/1867608947525386534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"wrote\">wrote<\/a>. &ldquo;The American people deserve answers and action now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1910978\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1910978\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biden faces rising bipartisan criticism over drone sightings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2379903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP24347571822384.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,7375,46728,4133,32076],"class_list":["post-2379902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-criticism","tag-drone-sightings","tag-news","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP24347571822384.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2379902"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2379906,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379902\/revisions\/2379906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2379903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2379902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2379902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2379902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}