Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas easily dodged a softball question from CNN when asked about a mysterious drone flying over New Jersey.
The Dec. 13 CNN interview was a layup for Mayorkas, largely because CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Mayorkas the core question: Are these unidentified aircraft operated by the federal government? The airline did not ask whether the airline was operated by one of the federal government's subcontractors.
Instead, Wolf asked a series of fluffy questions that Mayorkas confidently sidestepped with generalizations, off-topic comments, and ignoring the questions.
Mayorkas is a lawyer. Since 2021, he has used his oratorical skills to avoid and dodge sloppy questions from politicians and journalists about the border crisis sparked by his unwavering welcome of at least 7 million illegal immigrants.
But President-elect Donald Trump got straight to the point in a Dec. 13 post.
Mr. Mayorkas is the person to ask about drones, as he is supposed to protect Americans from emerging threats. His agents are in regular contact with other government agencies that may be developing and testing classified drones, for example to detect gamma rays from smuggled nuclear material. . bomb.
his department website say:
One of the Ministry's top priorities is to prevent nation states and their representatives, transnational criminal organizations, groups and individuals from engaging in terrorist and criminal acts that threaten the homeland, It is about resolutely protecting the American people from homeland security threats.
Government officials are often very cautious about media appearances. They can and do negotiate terms and questions with news organizations, and they do negotiate with television hosts who crave the “win” of hosting important people in informative or pointless interviews.
Wolff starts from 6 minutes interview Mayorkas asked a softball question: “What would you say to Americans who are deeply concerned right now about sightings in New Jersey, New York, here and outside of Washington, D.C., in Maryland?” he asked.
“Let me calm those nerves,” Mayorkas replied condescendingly, refusing to acknowledge or explain the presence of the visible aircraft.
Nothing unusual was seen. No unusual activity was observed. We know nothing about threats or heinous activities. Again, we didn't see anything out of the ordinary… It's very common for people who think they're seeing a drone to actually see a small aircraft, and we're also not seeing anything out of the ordinary. There is a case of difference. Six different people have also reported what they believe to be drones, resulting in six reported drone sightings all of a sudden.
He then offered an unrelated deflection, saying: [New Jersey] Governor Murphy every day. ”
Blitzer then changed the topic to comments about President-elect Donald Trump. Mayorkas then spoke about pending legislation that would allow federal agencies to combat drone activity at the U.S. border.
Blitzer then turned the topic to a pointed question from Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), saying, “We're going to police one of them and analyze it and find out what's really going on. Why don't you let me know?” he asked.
Mayorkas simply changed the subject.
First of all, we have experts. The scope of their expertise and their dedication to the well-being of the American people should not be diminished. These are people who have dedicated their careers to putting the safety and security of the United States first.
Wolf then asked an interesting question: “Do you have the authority to shoot down a drone?”
Mr. Mayorkas narrowed the question, saying, “Our authority is very limited…We can't just shoot drones out of the sky.”
“Wouldn't it be wise to at least look at these drones and see if they're armed?” Blitzer asked.
Mayorkas simply changed the subject and said, “Wolf, there's no question that technology has advanced in the area of drones.”
Mayorkas is a pro-government progressive who has used his time at the department to import more than 10 million legal and illegal immigrants. He was impeached by the Republican-led House of Representatives in January 2024 for “failing to comply with federal immigration law and betraying the public trust,” but was impeached by the Democratic-led Senate in April 2024.
