JUST IN: Rep. Greene Calls for Investigation into Pentagon for Claims they Withheld Info on Balloons From Trump

On Monday, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene demanded an investigation into the claim made by the Biden administration that Chinese spy balloons infiltrated the United States during former President Donald Trump’s time in office.

Greene expressed skepticism that President Trump was unaware of such incidents and suggested that the Pentagon may have kept security information from him. She called for an investigation into the matter to determine the truth and to ensure that the President is always informed of any potential security threats.

She tweeted, “If it’s true the Pentagon purposely did NOT tell President Trump of Chinese Spy Balloons during his administration then we had a serious breach in command during the Trump admin. The POTUS is the Commander in Chief. We must investigate and hold accountable those who broke rank.”

As a member of the House Oversight Committee, led by Kentucky GOP Rep. James Comer, Greene has the potential to drive an investigation into the allegations of Chinese spy balloons in the United States during the Trump administration. The committee is already conducting multiple probes into the Biden administration.

Despite the claims made by the Biden administration, several former Trump administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, have all rejected the notion that Chinese air balloons entered U.S. airspace during the Trump era.

The Biden administration has since extended an invitation to brief the former Trump officials and maintain that the incursions were not detected until after Trump left office.

The matter has sparked controversy and raised questions, as Trump and much of the public have criticized Biden for allowing a recent spy balloon to roam the United States for several days before finally shooting it down off the coast of South Carolina.

The investigation proposed by Greene could shed light on the matter and provide answers to the public and the former administration.

If it’s true the Pentagon purposely did NOT tell President Trump of Chinese Spy Balloons during his administration then we had a serious breach in command during the Trump admin.

The POTUS is the Commander in Chief.

We must investigate and hold accountable those who broke rank.

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 6, 2023

Earlier on Monday, a senior U.S. general in charge of taking down a Chinese spy balloon stated on Monday that the military had not noticed prior spy balloons until the one that surfaced on Jan 28.

The Pentagon stated during the weekend that Chinese spy balloons have flown over the U.S. at least 4 times, 3 of which took place during President Trump’s tenure and one during President Biden’s.

VanHerck claimed, “I will tell you that we did not detect those threats, and that’s a domain awareness gap.”

Gen. VanHerck added that U.S. intelligence was able to determine the past flights through “additional means of collection” of intelligence, but did not provide additional information on the sources, whether it be cyber espionage, telephone intercepts, or human intelligence.

Senior U.S. officials have offered to provide the former administration with details about the previous balloon overflights during President Trump’s term. Republican Rep. Michael Waltz, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated on Sunday that the Pentagon informed him of multiple Chinese balloon incidents that occurred in recent years, including over Florida.