Biden administration officials briefed members of Congress about an alleged Chinese spy balloon that had traveled across the US.
The balloon was shot down on Saturday and recovery operations for the balloon’s payload are ongoing off the coast of South Carolina.
The balloon had western-made components with English-language writing on them, but it was not clear which components were Western-made or whether the writing was discovered before or after the balloon was shot down.
US spy planes were able to take high-resolution photos of the balloon as it traveled across the US.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the debris but has not yet seen the balloon’s main payload.
Senator Marco Rubio played down the technical capabilities of the balloon and said one of the key advantages of using balloons instead of other aircraft is their ability to stay in one location for long periods of time and provide cheap, continuous intelligence.
Senator Dan Sullivan questioned whether US or other companies have been helping China build these balloons.
China has rejected the allegations of spying and considers the balloon to be a weather balloon that went off course.
China’s Ministry of Defense has declined to talk with the US about the balloon, calling the downing of what it considers a civilian balloon “irresponsible.”
