- Other top Trump administration officials who either denied that it happened or said they were not aware of it happening include former national security adviser John Bolton, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
- The news comes after the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor on Saturday to take out a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina using a single air-to-air A9X sidewinder missile that was fired at an altitude of approximately 58,000 feet.
- The decision to shoot down the spy balloon came after President Joe Biden allowed it to fly thousands of miles over the continental U.S. during the last several days.
