On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) stated that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s rationale for shooting down three unidentified objects is the same rationale that should have been used to take down the Chinese spy balloon.
Turner stated, “The thing that’s astounding here is to have Secretary Austin announce that the justification for taking down these other balloons is that they were a danger to air traffic and there was a danger from their collecting sensitive intelligence. But we know that actually applied to the Chinese balloon. Even though they say it came in at an altitude that was higher than air traffic, what goes up comes down. There was no guarantee as it traversed across Alaska, Canada, and the United States that it would stay aloft at that height. And then clearly, it was known as a spy balloon. It was collecting intelligence over our sensitive military sites. So, you have the Secretary of Defense openly stating now they’ve taken down these other balloons for the same reason that their critics said that they should have taken [down] the first. What you’re watching is an evolution of this administration’s policy after being permissive and allowing the Chinese spy balloon to collect its data and go across our country, they’re now drawing a line and using the same rationale to take down these others.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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