BREAKING: Chinese spy balloon floating over northern US and Speaker McCarthy wants gang of 8 briefing

There’s a Chinese spy ballon floating over the northern US collecting intelligence, according to the Pentagon who is tracking the ballon.

Biden wanted it shot down, however officials advised against it over safety concerns for civilians.

Just in, Speaker McCarthy wants a gang of 8 briefing on the Chinese balloon:

Here’s more on the situation via New York Post:

The US has been tracking a Chinese spy balloon that has been floating over the northern part of the country for days, Pentagon officials announced Thursday.

A top Pentagon official said the US intelligence community has “very high confidence” that the balloon belongs to the People’s Republic of China and has been flying over sensitive sites to collect information for the past two days.

The official, speaking anonymously, said that one of the locations the balloon has been spotted was over Montana — home to one of the US’ three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Fighter jets — including F-22s — were prepared to shoot the balloon down at President Biden’s direction and he was presented with options after which he proposed that the balloon be shot down, but his military leaders recommended against it out of safety concerns for civilians on the ground.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters in a brief statement that the balloon is“currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”

The defense official said that the US has been “engaged” with Chinese officials to communicate the gravity of the situation — which comes just days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to go to China.

“We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue,” the official said. “We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland.”

Right now, the official said, following recommendations of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the U.S. position is to allow the balloon to continue to float above the United States, rather than attempt to shoot is down.

So they are going to just let it continue to collect intelligence? That doesn’t sound like a good idea, but I do understand their safety concerns.

I would think they could come up with a better solution than just letting it continue to collect intel. I just hope it’s not sending that intel in real time.


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