On Friday, Feb. 3, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio loudly asserted that he thought America's federal government was making a massive mistake for not shooting down a Chinese spy balloon as it hovered over a sparsely populated area of the country.
The Biden administration did not shoot down the balloon initially out of concerns that it would injure Americans on the ground.
Rubio understands, but says that that opens up the question of why the government didn't destroy the balloon while it was over an unpopulated area:
It was a mistake to not shoot down that Chinese spy balloon when it was over a sparsely populated area
This is not some hot air balloon, it has a large payload of sensors roughly the size of two city buses & the ability to maneuver independently
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 3, 2023
A Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. is alarming but not surprising
The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last 5 years
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 2, 2023
WRITER'S NOTE: There has been much conflicting information about the true status of the balloon as well as about whether the balloon actually belongs to China. We have tried to publish the most accurate information as possible.