According to Biden Defense Department officials, Chinese spy balloons entered American airspace three times during former President Trump’s tenure. Still, no one on Trump’s civilian national security team was ever apprised of the incursions. One possible reason for that, former Trump officials are allegedly speculating, is because then-Secretary of Defense General James Mattis didn’t trust Trump with the intelligence.
On Sunday, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), tweeted that Pentagon officials had informed his office that “several Chinese balloon incidents have happened in the past few years – including over Florida.” Waltz questioned why the balloons weren’t shot down, and why the Trump White House was not informed.
“Why weren’t they shot down?” asked Waltz, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. The congressman noted that several Trump Administration national security officials have stated “they were never informed of these intrusions by the Pentagon.”