After alarming the public Wednesday in a Fox News interview, Rep. Jeff Van Drew returned to the cable network today and doubled down on his warning.
Confronted with the direct denial of his claims by a Pentagon spokesperson, the congressman repeated his warning about unidentified drones that he said have been spotted moving back and forth from the Atlantic for weeks. He described them as large and sophisticated, and not like backyard hobby drones owned by the public.
Back at the Pentagon on Thursday, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that "available imagery" suggests many of the reported sightings are "manned aircraft" that are being operated lawfully.
Back on Fox News, however, Rep. Van Drew likened the "stupidity" of the Biden administration to the Chinese spy balloon that maneuvered over the United States for seven days last year while it gathered intelligence.
“We are not being told the truth,” Van Drew, referring to the Pentagon, said. “They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.”
Van Drew also defended the intelligence sources who shared the information with him.
“These are dependable, credible individuals that have security clearance that felt like they wanted to clear the air,” Van Drew, describing them as whistleblowers, said.
If the congressman’s claims are true, national security analyst Bob Maginnis says the Biden administration is dealing with a “geopolitical mess” on our own shores caused by a foreign adversary.
“And I hope that we're using all our means,” he tells AFN, “to take down the drones.”
Drones likely launched by ship in Atlantic
Regarding the “mothership” reference Van Drew made Wednesday, which is being mocked by the congressman’s critics, Maginnis says that is likely a cargo ship anchored in international waters.
“And then launching [drones] at night to go in and do reconnaissance, and just kind of test our system,” Maginnis speculates.
In the second Fox interview, Van Drew seemed annoyed at fixation over his “mothership” reference, which is being likened to a reference to an alien spaceship.
“These drones very well could be launched from a ship. It could be hundreds of miles out at sea,” he said.
The word "mothership" is not just for space aliens, however. The word has been used in the Russia-Ukraine war, by both sides, to describe a drone carrier that deploys drones on the battlefield.
Going back to the Pentagon denial, Fox News anchor Dana Perino pointed out to Van Drew that the denial cited Iranian drones. Perino, a former George W. Bush press secretary, wondered if the denial would have been worded the same if "China" was inserted in the place of "Iran."
Citing the drone technology, Van Drew agreed the drones could be the property of China. He went on to say the bigger issue is the drones are being allowed over U.S. airspace while the Pentagon plays dumb.