Rep. Jeff Van Drew (RN.J.) says he has “highly qualified” and “credible” information linking a mysterious drone flying over New Jersey to an Iranian “mothership” anchored off the coast of the United States. The government fired back after senior officials rejected claims gathered from sources. east coast.
“They were incredibly stupid and incredibly weak on this,” Van Drew said Thursday on “America's Newsroom.”
“We know these are not the backyard drones that some hobbyists are using, because they are much more sophisticated than that. They don't even have the sophistication yet, so we know they're not a commercial company in the United States.''The government is 10 years behind China in its use of drones, they claim they are not. Yes, then who exactly is it? ”
Pentagon denies lawmaker's claim that New Jersey drone came from Iran
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, RN.J., on Thursday, May 16, 2024, released a report by the House Judiciary Committee recommending that the House hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. Participate in markup. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
He continued, “I have people I trust with high security ratings. They came to me, but again, they are trustworthy and trustworthy people with security clearances to clear the air.'' They were essentially whistleblowers. They believe it could actually be Iran, and as the Coast Guard mentioned, these drones are going in and out of the ocean, not on pontoons. They are treating the American people like fools.”
A mysterious drone has been in the skies over the Garden State for about a month, flying over residential areas with flashing lights and no apparent motive, leaving authorities and state residents demanding answers about its origins. are.
Van Drew, who serves on the Transportation Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee, initially claimed Wednesday that a confidential but “responsible” source told him the mystery aircraft came from an Iranian mothership, but that claim has not been verified. Not done. He called for the drone to be “shot down.”
Drone sightings reported over New Jersey's largest reservoir as federal authorities investigate disturbing phenomenon
Jennifer Griffin, Fox News' chief national security correspondent, asked Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh about Van Drew's claims during a briefing Wednesday, and she dismissed them.
“There are no Iranian ships off the coast of the United States, and there are no so-called 'mother ships' launching drones toward the United States,” he said.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also dismissed the claims, saying in part that the Pentagon has “zero evidence to that effect.”
“The FBI said they had zero evidence. We don't know who he is.” [Van Drew] I've been watching it lately, but he might want to watch the news…” he continued, adding that the situation is his “top priority.”
Mr Murphy wrote to X last Thursday that there was “no known threat to the public at this time.” State officials said they are taking reports of mysterious drone sightings “seriously.”
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“These drones are very likely to be launched from ships. They could be hundreds of miles away at sea,” Van Drew said in response to this dismissal.
“These kinds of drones fly much longer distances. These are things you don't normally see in the United States, so that's a real possibility. Could it be China? Absolutely. It could be someone else. Surely that's possible. Here's what it is. They don't know what it is. They don't know where it came from, but do they know it's not? I mean, it's nonsense. they don't know what they're doing. Why not police them, analyze it, and let us know what's really going on?
“I hope they know more than they're telling us, but that's disrespectful to the people and Congress. It's about time they get the truth out.”
