John Bolton: Would be ‘serious problem’ if Pentagon didn’t tell Trump about Chinese spy balloons

Former national security advisor John Bolton said on Monday that it would be a ‘serious problem’ if suspected Chinese spy balloons flew over the U.S. during the Trump administration without officials at the time being alerted.

On Saturday, an alleged surveillance device was shot down off the coast of South Carolina after crossing over multiple U.S. states at a low enough altitude to be seen by the naked eye – alarming millions across the country. 

The Pentagon revealed later that day that three such balloons flew over parts of the U.S. when Donald Trump was president. They were not detected until President Joe Biden took office, an unnamed senior Defense official is quoted as saying.

‘Well, if it wasn’t detected when it happened, how did we detect it more recently? Did the Biden administration invent a time machine?’ Bolton asked on CNN This Morning.

‘What is the basis of this new detection? Now, I understand the administration has offered to brief former national security officials from the Trump administration.’

He added that he personally has not been approached about a briefing but would take one if asked.

‘As far as I know, every Trump administration official who has been asked, has said they didn’t know anything about it,’ Bolton said of the three balloons.

‘I will say this, if there was any actual knowledge that these balloons were over the United States and higher authority wasn’t told, that’s a serious problem.’

He also panned the Biden administration’s response as a ‘botched’ effort, amid a wave of Republican scrutiny over why the balloon was not shot down before reaching the continental United States.

Biden told reporters on Saturday after it was shot down that he ordered the military to hit it on Wednesday, but was cautioned about possible civilian casualties with the falling debris.

Bolton said the safety of Americans is an ‘obvious’ concern but argued: ‘We’ve had bomb shelters before; people can be prepared for this.’

‘I think we obviously have to be concerned about the safety of our citizens. How would their safety be affected if there were weapons on that thing, that we didn’t act when it was timely to do so?’ Bolton threw back. 

‘And with all due respect to the great citizens of Alaska and Montana, it’s less populated than here at home.’

It was shot down by US fighter jets off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday after first crossing into North America six days prior

An F-22 Raptor fighter jet fired a single AIM-9X missile to take down a Chinese spy balloon and its payload, which was equipped with cameras, sensors and radars 

Trump hit back at reports that the alleged surveillance devices crossed into the US when he was president

He added that the federal government could have taken on any property damage costs.

However, the Pentagon’s statement on Saturday confirmed that it ‘did not pose a military or physical threat’ to Americans.

Trump himself responded furiously to the Defense assessment that three such balloons flew over the U.S. when he was president.

‘The Chinese Balloon situation is a disgrace, just like the Afghanistan horror show, and everything else surrounding the grossly incompetent Biden Administration,’ the former president wrote on his app Truth Social.

‘They are only good at cheating in elections, and disinformation — and now they are putting out that a Balloon was put up by China during the Trump Administration, in order to take the “heat” off the slow-moving Biden fools. 

‘China had too much respect for “TRUMP” for this to have happened, and it NEVER did. JUST FAKE DISINFORMATION!’

The Defense Department said that ‘Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.’ 

And on Sunday, Fox News reported that at least one balloon flew over parts of Texas and Florida while Trump was in office.