Biden says three recently downed aerial objects were not linked to Chinese spy program

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden said 3 unmanned aerial objects that were changeable down implicit the play by the U.S. subject were "most apt tied to backstage companies, recreation oregon probe institutions," and were not connected to China's subject surveillance program.

"We don't yet cognize what these 3 objects were, but thing close present suggests that they were related to China's spy balloon programme oregon that they surveillance vehicles from immoderate different country," Biden said astatine the White House.

The remarks came aft days of mounting pressure from some Democrats and Republicans successful Congress, who accidental the American radical merit to hear from the president precisely what the medication knew astir the spy balloon and wherefore Biden aboriginal ordered 3 much floating objects changeable down by American combatant jets.

White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that China, which levied sanctions against U.S. contractors earlier successful the morning, was "deflecting and coming up with excuses and trying to rotation this."

"At the extremity of the day, their surveillance balloon was so successful our airspace," she said. "It's been precise clear. All of the American people, the full satellite saw what China did, and it was irresponsible."

The monolithic Chinese surveillance balloon was archetypal detected successful American airspace disconnected of Alaska connected Jan. 28, and was changeable down connected Feb. 4 successful U.S. airspace disconnected the seashore of South Carolina. Floating visibly supra the continental U.S. and Canada for 8 days, the spy balloon caused an outcry, with some the nationalist and members of Congress demanding to cognize wherefore Biden had not ordered the balloon beryllium changeable down sooner.

Less than a week aft the spy balloon was destroyed, the first of 3 much objects was taken down successful waters supra the Arctic Ocean connected Friday. The size of a tiny car and floating astatine 40,000 feet, this entity was overmuch smaller than the Chinese balloon.

One time later, a balloon that was akin successful size and altitude was changeable down implicit the Canadian Yukon. The 3rd floating entity was somewhat smaller and floating astatine conscionable 20,000 feet erstwhile it was taken retired implicit Lake Huron connected Sunday.

As of Thursday, the White House says it has recovered cardinal surveillance exertion from the Chinese balloon. But it is not wide whether immoderate debris from the 3 smaller objects has been recovered.

As much accusation came to airy this week, the White House has sought to gully an progressively agleam enactment betwixt the Chinese spy balloon and the 3 balloons that were changeable down successful its aftermath.

While the Chinese balloon was intelligibly a surveillance vessel, the "leading mentation frankincense far" for the different 3 "is that they were astir apt balloons of a commercialized oregon possibly probe nature," White House spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday during an lawsuit astatine Georgetown University.

He said determination was "no indication" the 3 latest flying objects were related to China's surveillance program.