Staff Reports
The Biden administration has revealed its penchant for secrecy once again, siding with U.S. intelligence agencies in a decision akin to a kid hiding a broken vase rather than revealing the full story of the Chinese surveillance balloon that drifted across the United States earlier in 2023. After finally shooting down the unwelcome guest over the South Carolina coast, the administration seems more interested in throwing a blanket over the details rather than holding a press conference to air the family’s dirty laundry.
In a move that could have felt like a scene out of a spy novel, military divers managed to snag a treasure trove of intelligence-collection gear from the depths of the ocean, all of which the White House insists must remain classified. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, took to making excuses, claiming the balloon was downed in the water so high-tech snooping components could be retrieved more easily. So much for being proactive about foreign encroachment; instead, it’s all hush-hush, as if the government is playing a game of “What’s in the box?”
U.S. intel agencies blocked disclosure of spy balloon gear
Biden admin went along with U.S. intelligence agencies against releasing details to the public of a Chinese surveillance balloon that transited the United States unimpeded in early 2023https://t.co/QNvHnCmvmt— MAGA WARRIORS (@maga_warriors) July 26, 2024
Sullivan elaborated on the purported wisdom of keeping this information under wraps, suggesting that this was more of a team play by the intelligence community rather than a Presidential order. Apparently, they believe that learning about China’s espionage attempts and keeping that information in the dark is a better approach than, you know, alerting the public or their elected representatives. It’s not like average Americans deserve to know how compromised their airspace was, right?
When pressed about the sensitivity of the recovered technology, Sullivan was about as informative as a wet cardboard box. All he offered was that the technology was “interesting.” Anyone could have guessed that an advanced piece of Chinese spying gear wouldn’t be as mundane as a garden gnome. Meanwhile, China continues to maintain that this was nothing more than a rogue weather balloon, which brings comfort perhaps only to those who appreciated the irony of “low-pressure fronts” spying on a high-pressure situation.
This entire debacle led to a quick, albeit temporary, chill in U.S.-China relations—an expected response to the uninvited ballooning of surveillance across the very skies Americans navigate. As the Biden administration continues to “manage” information like a toddler plays with a delicate vase, one can’t help but wonder what will happen the next time a surprise visitor floats their way. The waves of foreign espionage are rolling in, and Americans are left sitting on the shore, wondering how far the tide will go.
