A series of mysterious drone sightings On the East Coast, lawmakers are looking for solutions to an unknown problem and federal agencies are “pointing fingers” at each other to figure out what’s going on, Trump’s next national security adviser said Sunday.
“We need to know who is behind this,” said Rep. Mike Waltz, a Florida Republican who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for national security adviser. “But right now, I think law enforcement seems to be…the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are kind of doing this and pointing fingers at each other.”
Speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” On Sunday, Waltz said he believed the drone issue — which has sparked outcry and demands for answers from civilians and leaders alike — highlights lapses in authority between law enforcement local and federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
“I think it’s hard for Americans to believe that we can’t understand where these things come from,” he added. “It highlights gaps in our capabilities and in our ability to suppress what’s happening here. And we need to get to the bottom of this.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, echoed the congressman’s concerns. in a separate interview Sunday on “Face the Nation” In addition to a briefing for members of the Senate to discuss the situation, she also called for “more transparency” and “the establishment of “new regulatory rules” for the use of drones.
“We need to figure out if we really want all these drones? Because even if they are safe, who knows what will happen in the future?” Klobuchar said. “They must be within 400 feet [from the ground]so these things are going to be what? Flying over family picnics, houses and beaches? It won’t be a good future if we see too much. »
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, announced Sunday that he is working to pass a bill in the Senate that would give local authorities more resources for drone detection. He also asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to deploy drone detection technology in New York and New Jersey.
“The laws on where, when and who can fly drones are rather limited. This legislation will help,” Schumer said during a press briefing. “We talked to Homeland Security and the FBI and told them we needed answers quickly.”
Amid comments from lawmakers, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he had seen drones over his own home.
“Two mornings ago, above my house at 6:15 a.m., I saw them myself,” Christie said. “So does my wife, and so yes, they are there. And I’ve been traveling around New Jersey, as I usually do, all week. And I can’t tell you how many people have come to me concerned. .”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Sunday that her state will receive a drone detection system from the federal government.
“I’m grateful for your support, but we need more. Congress must pass legislation that will give us the authority to deal directly with drones,” the governor said in a statement.
Drones have been spotted in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other Eastern states, sometimes flying near military installations as well as near Trump’s golf course in Bedminister, Wash. New Jersey. A federal official said Thursday that the FBI was investigating the sightings. An FBI official told CBS News the same day that the agency had received several thousand tips and that local law enforcement was also investigating.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey suggested last week that there was an Iranian “mothership” off the U.S. East Coast launching the drones, which Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, refuted.
Two people were arrested Saturday night in Boston for trespassing, after police said they were involved in a “dangerous drone operation.” CBS Boston reported. An officer spotted a drone flying near Logan Airport and found the drone’s location, altitude and flight history in order to trace the machine back to its apparent operators, Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, according to Boston police.
