Washington – Last week, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) demanded answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray on the agency’s knowledge of and analysis performed on the Chinese spy balloon that traveled more than 4,000 miles across the United States in 2023.
Issa’s letter, highlighted in an exclusive report in the New York Post, was sent as a response to the Biden Administration’s refusal to disclose any findings from the Bureau’s examination of the balloon after it was shot down by the U.S. Air Force after traveling across most of the continental United States.
An excerpt from the letter:
Unfortunately, ever since the craft entered U.S. airspace and was then noticed by citizens on the ground, the Biden Administration has sought to obscure what it knew about the spy balloon and when, as well as virtually shield the PRC insofar as possible. President Biden assured the country it was “not a major breach” while the State Department offered a muted response. This is insufficient to meet our national security interests and the public’s right to know.
The PRC’s infringement of American airspace constitutes a significant violation of American sovereignty and a major intelligence failure. Given the gravity of the incident and the suspect nature of the Administration’s assertions, Congress must be briefed on the FBI and the interagency’s findings without further delay. Therefore, I ask that the FBI brief Members on the full contents of its analysis in a classified setting during the week of March 3, 2024.
Congressman Issa also published an op-ed on the administration’s secrecy on the spy balloon in Fox News.
The full letter can be found here.
Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 48th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.
