Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday that the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon "should have been shot down the moment that it approached America."
Mast said on "American Agenda" that the balloon's use is now obvious.
"You can look at it and say, Well, the administration is now treating our northern border in the same way that they treat our southern border, but this time with China instead of with South and Central American countries."
He added, "Just No. 1, a Chinese surveillance piece of equipment coming into our airspace, that represents a hostile act no matter which way you cut it. And they're trying to change the narrative and deny that, and they've tried it in a number of different ways."
Mast said that the balloon "wasn't sent without the intent of doing something to the advantage of China to the detriment of America. And it was allowed to take place and should have been shot down the moment that it approached America. We should have been celebrating it."
The congressman also commented on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his plan to allow residents to buy prescription drugs from Canada.
Mast said that the governor is "of, by, and for the people, not of by and for the corporation. That's what this is all about. That's what he's looking at. Let's look at a policy. The policy doesn't make sense.
"There's a more affordable way to do it. It's through the auspices of competition, not because some taxpayer is paying the bill for somebody else's healthcare. That makes sense. Let's put it into practice. That's all the governor's asking."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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