February 5, 2023 4:46pm EST
Spy balloon likely sent extensive intelligence to China, experts say
The Pentagon said Thursday it 'acted immediately' to counter a collection of sensitive information
By Patrick Hauf | Fox News
The Chinese spy balloon that traveled across the U.S. likely was able to send sensitive data to the Chinese Communist Party before it was shot down by the U.S. military Saturday, foreign policy experts told Fox News Digital.
Military officials decided to take out the balloon exactly one week after they first discovered it in Alaska. However, President Biden was not made aware of the balloon until Tuesday, when it was over Montana. Local news broke the story of its existence on Thursday.
The Pentagon said Thursday it "acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information" from the balloon. But geopolitical experts said there is little reason to believe those efforts were successful, as the balloon almost certainly transferred surveillance data over to China as it flew over several military bases.
Brandon Weichert, author of Winning Space, said he believes China successfully gathered U.S. military and technological information through its spy balloon.
"With all due respect to the Pentagon I think that’s B.S. — they’re saying that to protect their ego and image," Weichert told Fox News Digital. "This was a long-ranged surveillance mission prompted partly by comments from the Pentagon about the possibility of going to war."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/spy-balloon-likely-sent-extensive-intelligence-to-china-experts-say
