It’s been 10 days since the FBI office in Newark, N.J. put out a public plea for information about sightings of “possible drones.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Thursday urged federal “transparency” while Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden asked for federal help.
Officials in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Connecticut have since joined New Jersey’s demands for information after more sightings were reported in those states.
The White House, meanwhile, on Thursday insisted the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies “have not been able to corroborate any of the reported visual sightings,” a response that many lawmakers see as unacceptable.
“What is happening is outrageous. Thousands of drones and unmanned aerial systems flying above us, and our government is not telling us who’s operating them and for what purpose,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) told reporters in Staten Island on Friday.
At the same press conference, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella called on the New York Police Department to do more investigation into the sightings and expressed continued frustration at state and federal agencies over the drones’ origin.
“This is 2024. They’re either lying, they’re incompetent, or both,” he said.
And former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) chimed in Friday, saying he personally witnessed “dozens of large drones” above his home, but that the White House, the U.S. military, the FBI and Homeland Security have no “idea what they are, where they came from, or who has launched or is controlling them,” according to a post on X.
“That response is entirely unacceptable,” Hogan wrote. “I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue. The American people deserve answers and action now.”
A number of House and Senate lawmakers also have called for briefings from state and federal officials as concerns rise about the unidentified lights flying over U.S. states, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Friday receiving a classified briefing on the matter.
Read more at TheHill.com.
