Chinese spy balloon poses 'no imminent danger,' top Foreign Affairs Democrat says
Posted 43 days ago
From WWW.FOXNEWS.COM
The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Friday that Americans are not in immediate danger from the Chinese spy balloon detected in U. S. airspace, but that its presence was a violation of American sovereignty and is concerning.
Appearing on NBC News' "Meet the Press NOW," ranking member Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N. Y., told host Chuck Todd he is waiting for the Foreign Affairs Committee to get classified briefings from the Biden administration with "all the facts" before concluding that the People's Republic of China sent a surveillance balloon to the U.S. intentionally.
"What I do know is what they've told us, that there is no imminent danger from this balloon. That it's danger[ous] taking it down just because of damage that could hit the ground," Meeks said.
"It's concerning to me still because a balloon floating across the ocean and going around into areas of sensitivity for us, you've got to be concerned," he continued.
The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the U. S. government detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental U.S. The balloon was first spotted over Montana, where the Malmstrom Air Force Base stores U.S. nuclear weapons.
A second balloon was detected flying over Latin America, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday night.
Senior State Department officials said the government was "confident" the balloons belonged to China. They called the intrusion on U. S. airspace "unacceptable" and a "clear violation of our sovereignty, as well as national law."... (Read more)
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