Several news agencies reported late Wednesday that President Joe Biden intends to finally address the Chinese surveillance balloon infiltration as well as the three other items shot down by American fighter planes in a speech during the following days.
After Reuters initially reported the discussions, two top administration officials told ABC News that the decision had been made.
The White House considers the days leading up to Biden’s Monday departure for his trip to Poland as a possibility for the possible balloon remarks, according to ABC News.
On February 20, the date of the journey to Europe, which coincides with the anniversary of Russia’s attack of Ukraine, more voters are expressing their dissatisfaction with how the Biden administration has handled the ongoing crisis.
Biden’s action is in response to political pressure from all sides calling for a complete and detailed explanation of what the Chinese surveillance balloon was doing in American airspace, how long the administration was aware of its presence, and precisely what data it was gathering.
The day the Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down, Biden made his first public statement about it when he merely informed reporters, “We’re going to take care of it,” hours before the mission.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) is one of many lawmakers who have now come forward to criticize officials in the Biden administration whom he claims have been “compromised” by China:
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CONN), following a secret briefing for all the senators, said to reporters on Tuesday, “The American people need and deserve to know more.”
“The American people need to know more so they’ll have more confidence in our national security,” Blumenthal continued, according to ABC News. “There has been a lot of information provided to us today that could be given to the American people without even any harm to methods, sources, or our national security,” Blumenthal said.
The president should “go in front of America and inform them firsthand that we are safe,” according to Senator Roger Marshall (R-KY).
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) continued, “The admin. needs to be more forthcoming and, by the way, it was a bipartisan perspective down there.”
The Chinese surveillance balloon, according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), should be the “number one concern” on Americans’ minds right now.
Biden, for his part, has previously said he doesn’t regret not pressing for the destruction of the Chinese surveillance balloon, even in light of the revelation that the balloon had antennas.
The military “made a right decision,” said Biden simply. “Over water, they fired it down.”
