Page 45 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023 Edition

Chinese Spy Balloons Near Texas & Florida
Pentagon reports past
Chinese surveillance
balloons near Florida,
Texas
Continued From Page 44
Rubio dismissed comparisons to previous
episodes of Chinese aircraft illegally
entering U.S. airspace. “What is
unprecedented,” he told the network, “is
a balloon flight that entered over Idaho,
over Montana, all these sensitive military
installations: air force bases, ICBM
[intercontinental ballistic missile] fields,
right across the middle of the country.
That has never happened before.”
A device that “flew briefly over part of
the U.S., or continental U.S., that’s one
thing. But what we saw this week, it’s
unprecedented.” He also called the
response a “dereliction of duty.”
Democrats defended Biden’s handling of
the matter, noting the balloon was
brought down without injury to
Americans.
“The president called for this to be dealt
with in a way that balanced all of the
different risks,” Transportation Secretary
Pete Buttigieg said on CNN’s “State of
the Union.” “That’s exactly what
happened. The military did a terrific job.”
Buttigieg also said on NBC’s “Meet the
Press” that precautions were taken to
protect the safety of American life and
property.
Top Republicans said the balloon was an
unprecedented test of American
leadership amid increasingly difficult
economic and diplomatic debates
between the two nations.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R),
who has said he is considering a
presidential run in 2024, said on ABC’s
“This Week” that the balloon was “China
poking at us.”
“This is all about China testing the
American resolve,” he said.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Cruz drew
attention another point of tension
between the countries: the case of Texas
businessman Mark Swidan, who has been
held in China for more than a decade and
45
was convicted of involvement in a drug- the rules of the world order.” But, Booker
trafficking conspiracy. Cruz said U.S. said, Biden’s handling of the balloon
officials have pushed for China to release situation was “very just and very
Swidan from custody. defensible.”
“They’ve sentenced him to death on And retired Adm. Mike Mullen, a former
charges for which they have little to no chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on
evidence,” said Cruz, who introduced a ABC’s “This Week,” that shooting down
resolution recently calling for Swidan’s the balloon while it was over the
release. He also told the network that he continental U.S. posed potential risks to
had raised Swidan’s case with Secretary civilian life that was not warranted.
of State Antony Blinken before a planned
trip to China, which was canceled in “It’s very clear to me that the intelligence
response to the balloon’s discovery. value of this from the standpoint of what
it was getting, was not worth the risk of
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), killing an American on the ground,”
chairman of the House Intelligence Mullen said. He added, “I know that’s
Committee, called the Biden why we waited to this point to take it
administration’s decision to wait to shoot down.”
down the balloon “sort of like tackling
the quarterback after the game is over.” Mullen said while it is important to learn
more about this episode, “More
Turner said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” importantly, we need to make sure we can
on Sunday that the U.S. military should get this relationship moving in the right
have shot down the balloon days earlier direction.” []
when it was over sparsely populated parts
of Alaska. He accused the Biden THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO/TV SHOW
administration of lacking sufficient with
urgency. And he called China’s decision ROB McCONNELL
to fly a balloon over the country “a www.XZBN.net
crisis.” www.SimulTV.com CH-54
“I believe that they were trying to gain PARANORMAL STAKEOUT
information on how to defeat the with
command and control of our nuclear LARRY LAWSON
weapons systems and our missile defense www.XZBN.net
systems,” Turner said. www.SimulTV.com CH-54
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who sits on The ‘X’ Zone Broadcast Network
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “Searching For Answers -
said the balloon incursion was just one Demanding the Truth.”
example of how China is “not playing by