Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is demanding answers from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Biden administration over what he said is a lack of transparency regarding a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon traveling across the country.
In a letter addressed to Austin on Friday, Schmitt, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote, "The lack of transparency is alarming.
"The American people deserve transparency and accountability immediately," Schmitt wrote. "I request an immediate briefing for my colleagues so that we can provide constitutional oversight. I intend to partner with my colleagues to investigate the administration's decision-making process related to this violation of our nation's airspace and international law."
Schmitt wrote the Department of Defense has told the public scant details about the balloon: only that it is Chinese; it is over the central U.S.; it is carrying surveillance gear and a payload; it has the ability to maneuver; and a decision was made not to shoot it down.
"But the Department of Defense has refused to answer questions about the balloon's exact location, when the Department of Defense began monitoring the balloon, and what options the Biden administration considered to this point or is considering in the future," he wrote. "Nor has the Department of Defense provided any information about past incidents where balloons entered, or came close to entering, U.S. airspace."
Schmitt wrote he doesn't understand why the Biden administration allowed an asset from a foreign adversary to penetrate U.S. airspace. The balloon has been spotted over Missouri, home to Whiteman Air Force Base in the western part of the state. The fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers is housed at Whiteman, as well as the 509th Bomb Wing of the Air Force Global Strike Command, a vital asset in maintaining U.S. nuclear preparedness.
"It would be naïve not to think China is attempting to observe critical military installations across the country and in Missouri, such as Whiteman Air Force Base — a vital asset in ensuring America's nuclear preparedness and home to the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber," Schmitt said in a news release. "We need answers from President [Joe] Biden, Secretary Austin, and this administration immediately."
In an email to Newsmax, a Pentagon spokesperson said, "It is not appropriate for us to comment on a U.S. Senator's correspondence." The spokesperson referred Newsmax to a news conference conducted by Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder earlier in the day.
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