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A Chinese surveillance balloon that spent the week traversing the U.S. and renewed calls for police reform in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death are likely to dominate the Sunday talk shows circuit this weekend.
The “high-altitude surveillance balloon” was first spotted over Montana on Wednesday. U.S. defense officials confirmed its presence on Thursday, noting that they were fairly confident that it belonged to China.
Beijing acknowledged on Friday that the balloon was Chinese and lamented that it had entered U.S. airspace but claimed it was primarily being used for meteorological research. However, U.S. officials have largely rejected this explanation, alleging that the balloon was being used to surveil “strategic sites” in the U.S.
The balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, with efforts underway to recover the debris.
Biden said on Saturday that he ordered the balloon be shot down “as soon as possible” after being briefed on the matter on Wednesday but was advised that the “best time to do that was when it got over water” due to safety concerns.
The balloon was reportedly the size of about three school buses and had been traveling around 60,000 feet above the ground.
Since reports of the balloon emerged earlier this week, Republicans have hammered Biden’s response, calling on him to shoot down the airship immediately.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Friday called for the Senate Homeland Security Committee to investigate the Biden administration’s “baffling response” to the Chinese surveillance balloon.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said the situation was “another sign of weakness” for the Biden administration on the international stage and suggested that the balloon contained “bioweapons.
