Rachel Campos-Duffy, the wife of President-elect Donald Trump's transportation secretary nominee, on Monday accused government officials of failing to give any answers about the swarms of drones that have been violating New Jersey's airspace in recent weeks.
The mysterious object, which first appeared on Nov. 18, has been flying nightly over homes, neighborhoods and military installations in more than a dozen counties in the Garden State, alarming residents and baffling authorities.
Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a social media post that drones “pose no known threat to the general public at this time,” but his remarks did not calm residents' frayed nerves. , Campos-Duffy said. told Ainsley Earhart on Fox & Friends.
“If you live in Morristown, Mendham, Summit, Bedminster, Far Hills, that whole area, that's all the talk is about,” she said, referring to the cluster of affluent Morris County suburbs.
“I think what you're seeing is, first of all, there are no answers. Whatever the governor put out was not an answer. It doesn't make me feel any better. ” continued Campos Duffy, who is married to the candidate. Sean Duffy.
“And I don't feel well. There's a plane flying low. It's not high like a plane. I see it flying low. And it's big. It's big. These are not hobby drones.”
“People are furious,” she added. “Three weeks later, no answers.”
Federal authorities have said they are investigating the incident, and Murphy said in the same social media post that he has spoken with state and federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
But no one in law enforcement has come up with a motive for the night flight, even though witness videos are flooding the internet.
A family in Morris County claims they tried to track a drone in their car, but their car's clock changed when it stopped overhead, and then changed back after it drove away. Newsweek reported.
“Unfortunately, we don't have many answers. We don't want to speculate or hypothesize what's going on,” said FBI spokeswoman Amy J. Thoreson. he told NJ.com last week.
“We're doing everything we can to figure it out.”
Several New Jersey mayors, including Washington Township Mayor Matthew Mulero and Mine Hill Township Mayor Sam Morris, wrote to the Democratic governor urging him to “take immediate action” and “provide transparency” regarding the mysterious sightings. “I wrote a letter pleading with you.'' Fox News reported.
But it didn't lead to any progress.
“The governor very kindly called me yesterday and basically said the same thing we've known for a while. There doesn't seem to be any safety concerns, but these “There's no information at all about who's operating the drones, what they're operating the drones, what they're doing, where they're going, where they're coming from,” Mulero told Fox & Monday on Monday. told friends.
“And that is the number one concern we have for our constituents as mayor.”
Morris added that Murphy's office told him he was “very frustrated and dissatisfied with federal authorities.”
He advised governors to “follow the drones home” because their limited range and battery life mean they cannot stay airborne for long.
“Someone will fly a drone there, someone will put a helicopter there,” Morris said. “They have to go back to Earth. Then we'll find out who's running them. If they don't know, they need to know. That's what the population demands.”
The real-world impact of mechanical joyrides is already occurring. For example, if one of your drones crashes. interfered with a medical emergency helicopter set to airlift a patient..
After numerous sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted drone flights over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Trump National Golf Club in Somerset.
“It's a total mystery,” Morris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mark Chiarolanza told NJ.com.
Last week, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the department is developing a plan to respond to sightings that have also occurred on military installations in Virginia.
However, he did not provide details of the confidential agreement.
“Unmanned systems, commonly known as drones, are increasingly likely to pose an urgent and persistent threat to U.S. personnel, facilities, and assets overseas, and even on U.S. soil,” Ryder said.
Campos-Duffy said he believes the U.S. is entering an era where people are demanding more transparency from their government, leading to increased demand for answers about who is flying the equipment and why. said.
But despite her husband's high-profile nomination, she has no inside information.
“Sean is running for Secretary of Transportation, so people think I know something,” she said.
“I don't know anything! I don't know what's going on. I'm just as curious as everyone else.”
