NJ lawmaker blasts Chinese spy drone theory

✅ Rep. Josh Gottheimer wants feds to directly brief the public

✅ He wants to know why FAA banned drones from skies over 22 NJ towns

✅ State Sen. Declan O'Scanlan says spy drone theory is 'insane'

Does Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ, 5th District, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, know more about the drones over New Jersey than he is telling his constituents?

On Tuesday, Gottheimer was included in a two-hour classified briefing by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about the drone activity over New Jersey. In a statement released on Wednesday, Gottheimer reinforced his belief that the drones do not pose a threat to public safety. He also said that the FBI and DHS should “immediately brief the public on what they know.”

“I don’t believe these recent drone sightings pose an imminent threat to public safety. That said, I directly urged representatives from the FBI and DHS to immediately brief the public on what they know," Gottheimer said.

According to Gottheimer's office, his message has remained consistent, adding that it is confusing when federal agencies put out a different message daily. A public briefing where questions are asked by the public would remedy that issue.

Gottheimer on Thursday also asked the Federal Aviation Administration to explain why they have instituted a Temporary Flying Restriction around 22 towns.

"They must brief the public on the reasons for their action. Decisions like these made in a vacuum only lead to more confusion and uncertainty. These federal agencies must do better by Jersey families," Gottheimer said in a statement.

ALSO READ: FAA issues rules grounding drones in NJ

'Stop proving that we’re this crazy'

State Sen. Declan O’Scanlan, R-Monmouth, called the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee “irresponsible” for suggesting that the drones over New Jersey are actually “spy drones” from China.

Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, 10th District, said before Tuesday's briefing that based on his experience the drones “are adversarial and most likely are coming from the People’s Republic of China."

"The Chinese government is very good at this stuff and we know they bought land around military bases. This would be very consistent with their policy over the last couple of years," McCaul said.

O’Scanlan said on his X account that if that were true it would be an act of war and that both China and Iran know that is "insane."

"But apparently our own leaders don’t realize how insane these claims are. And happy to stoke the fears of all of us for their 15 minutes of fame. Just stop. Stop proving that we’re this crazy…this gullible. Just stop," O’Scanlan said.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom