Biden: Drones on East Coast Are Not Nefarious
The president reassured the public, stating that there is no misconduct associated with the ongoing reports of unusual drone activities.
Late Tuesday night, President Joe Biden commented on the recent observations of drones over the East Coast.
“There’s nothing nefarious at play. They are investigating everything. A multitude of drones flying up there are authorized. I believe one got started, and everyone wanted to join in,” Biden informed reporters.
These remarks followed a classified briefing where federal officials informed House Intelligence Committee members that the drones operating over New Jersey are not part of a clandestine government initiative.
During the private briefing with the House panel, officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense addressed the growing unease and calls for transparency regarding these enigmatic drones.
“[The drones] are not operations from the federal government to detect radiation, gas, recover anything, or any other purpose,” Representative Himes stated.
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He emphasized that federal agencies confirmed there is “zero evidence” of any laws being violated by the drones or that they are being operated with ill intent.
Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), also a senior member of the committee, informed reporters that federal officials consistently asserted that there are no immediate dangers to public safety.
Ryder reaffirmed that over one million drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, with about 8,500 drones airborne on any typical day.
“The vast majority of these drones are either recreational or hobbyist use, commercial drones utilized in fields like architecture, engineering, and agriculture, or they might be employed in law enforcement,” Ryder explained.
“While it is conceivable that some could engage in malign activities, that’s not true for the vast majority.”
“I would need to direct you to Congress for that.”
On the same day, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expressed his belief that some unidentified drones observed over New Jersey and New York are “spy drones” operated by China, despite the Biden administration’s assertion that many of the sightings involve commercial aircraft.
Belleville Mayor Michael Mellham cautioned that the drone sightings in the state might be linked to missing radioactive materials.
“The shipping container arrived at its destination damaged and empty,” the report indicates.
Mellham also mentioned that he suspects the drones are not managed by a foreign enemy “because they would know how to disable the blinking lights.”
