THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS.
I’M NOT THE EXPERT.
BUT WE’LL BRING IN SOMEBODY WHO
IS.
ROBERT O’BRIEN, FORMER NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR.
THIS IS A BIZARRE STORY.
FIRST UP, THIS LOOKS LIKE A
MAJOR EMBARRASSMENT.
WHY AREN’T WE TAKING ACTION TO
DEAL WITH THIS AND WHY DIDN’T WE
KNOW ABOUT IT, ROBERT O’BRIEN?
>> THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
EMBARRASSING THINGS I HAVE EVER
SEEN IN AMERICAN DIPLOMACY AND
AMERICAN DEFENSE.
THEY ARE LAUGHING IN CHINA.
THIS BALLOON HAS BEEN JOE HEAD
FOR DAYS.
THEY CLAIM IT’S MAINLY CIVILIAN.
THAT’S LIKE MOSTLY PEACEFUL
PROTESTS.
NOT ONLY DO WE LOOK WEAK TO THE
CHINESE WHICH IS BAD ENOUGH.
BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD WE LOOK
TERRIBLE.
WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT OUR
CAPABILITY?
WE CAN’T SHEET DOWN OR DEFLATE
IT.
WE CAN’T TAKE ON A SLOW-MOVING
BALLOON?
IT’S NOT A GOOD SITUATION.
IT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND IT
NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED TODAY. >> IT SHOULD BE RESOLVED TODAY.
>> IT SHOULD BE RESOLVED TODAY.
BESIDES TAKING ANTHONY BLINKEN’S
TRIP OFF THE BOOK, WHAT ARE THEY
DOING?
THEY SEEM COMPLETELY PARALYZED.
THEY DON’T HAVE ANY ANSWERS.
THEY ARE AFRAID TO SHOOT THE
THING DOWN.
WE HAVE THE POWER AND CAPABILITY
TO CAPTURE IT AND BRING IT DOWN.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
ARE WE JUST GOING TO WATCH IT?
OUR NATIONAL SECURITY APPARATUS
WILL WATCH IT IN THE AIR LIKE
ANYONE SITTING ON I-95 CAN WATCH
IT WITH A DECENT PAIR OF
BINOCULARS.
>> I’M HEARING FROM FOLKS IN THE
MILITARY SERVICE, THE PILOTS.
THEY ARE EMBARRASSED AS WELL.
THIS IS NOT COMING FROM THE RANK
AND FILE OFFICERS IN THE
MILITARY.
THIS IS COMING FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE.
THE PRESS RELEASE THEY IMPOSED
NONE NORAD THAT SAID THIS IS NO
THREAT TO CIVILIAN AIR TRAFFIC.
SOMEONE OUGHT TO DO AN
INVESTIGATION AND FIND OUT WHO
MADE NORAD MAKE THAT RELEASE.
THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL EVENT.
THIS IS A SERIOUS NATIONAL
SECURITY EVENT.
WE HAVE A SURVEILLANCE BALLOON
OVER ONE OF OUR NUCLEAR
INDUSTRIED A MISSILE SILOS IN
MONTANA.
IT’S AN OPEN INVITATION AT THIS
POINT.
THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCE.
THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
WE LOOK WEAK.
I AM TOLD BY JET PILOTS.
FORMER GENERALS WHO FLEW F-16
AND F-22.
THEY SAID A SUPERSONIC CAN
DEFLATE THE BALLOON AND IT WILL
CRASH TO THE GROUND.
WE NEED TO GET THAT THING DOWN
AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE
COLLECT ON US.
LARRY: THE BEAUTY OF MONTANA IS
THERE ISN’T ANYBODY THERE.
I’M ONLY KIDDING.
MY SAINTLY WIFE AND I WERE
MARRIED IN THE WESTERN PART OF
MONTANA, BUT NOT THE EASTERN
PART.
YOU HAVE PLANES TO LASSO THIS
THING AND BRING IT DOWN.
WHY HAVEN’T WE USED THAT
TECHNOLOGY?
>> I DON’T KNOW WHY WE WOULD
KOWTOW TO THE CHINESE.
THE OTHER THING WE COULD DO, IF
THESE ARE THE NEW RULES, YOU CAN
FLY BALLOONS OVER.
WHY DON’T WE SEND A BALLOON OVER
CHINESE MISSILE SILOS.
THEY WOULD TAKE IT DOWN AND
REVERSE ENGINEER IT AND FIND OUT
WHAT WE WERE DOING.
SEE WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
LARRY: FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T
NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS, WHAT
IS THE INDUSTRIED A AND WHAT’S
IN -- WHAT IS THE TRIAD AND WHAT
IS IN THOSE SILOS WITH BELOW
MONTANA.
OUR NUCLEAR DETESHES IS DE -- DE
TO MAKE SURE OTHER COUNTRIES
DON’T USE A NUCLEAR WEAPON
AGAINST US.
WE HAVE AIR, BOMBERS AND WE HAVE
GOT OUR SILOS, THE MINUTEMEN,
THAT’S WHAT THIS BALLOON IS
HOVERING OVER.
AND WE HAVE BALLISTIC MISSILES
ON OUR SUBJECT MARINES.
BUT THESE SILOS ARE VERY
IMPORTANT TO OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY AND DETER CHINA FROM
LAUNCHING A FIRST STRIKE ON US.
THEY ARE USING A LOW-LEVEL
BALLOON TO GET ALL KINDS OF
DIFFERENT ANGLES ON OUR SILOS,
HOW TO PENETRATE THEM AND TAKE
THEM OUT BEFORE WE COULD LAUNCH
OURS.
THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, IT’S
LOOK AN ACT OF WAR.
AND WE POSTPONE TONY BLINKEN’S
TRIP?
EVERYBODY WHO HAS A KID WITH
TIKTOK IN THEIR HOUSE HAS A
BALLOON IN THEIR HOUSE.
IT’S COLLECTING EVERYTHING YOU
SAY, THEY ARE USING YOUR KIDS’
MICROPHONE TO PICK UP WHAT YOU
ARE SAYING.
THEY ARE COLLECTING DATA FROM
YOWRP THE Wi-Fi IN YOUR
HOME.
WE HAVE TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT
THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND
DO IT QUICKLY.
LARRY: THE CHINESE TELEPHONE
COMPANY HUAWEI THAT USED TO
OPERATE HEAVILY IN THE UNITED
STATES HAD TINY CAMERAS ON THE
TELEPHONE POLES IN THE HEARTLAND
RIGHT NEXT TO MILITARY BASES.
YOU ARE IN CALIFORNIA, THE
CALIFORNIA BASES ARE THE ONES
THEY WERE GOING AFTER.
WE HAD TO THROW THEM OUT.
BUT WE HAVEN’T THROWN HUAWEI OUT
COMPLETELY.
WE JUST HELPED CHINA BY FAILING
TO PROVIDE A PERMIT FOR MINERAL
RESOURCE EXCAVATION FOR OUR
BATTERIES.
WE ARE HELPING CHINA FOR NOT
ALLOWING MINERAL RESOURCE FOR
CORP.
THE BIDENS ARE TALKING ABOUT
REDUCE CAN TARIFFS ON CERTAIN
GOODS AND SERVICES INSTEAD OF A
TOUGHER EXPORT POLICY.
THESE ARE THINGS -- BIDEN GOES
TO TALK TO XI.
AS FAR AS WE KNOW THERE WAS NO
DISCUSSION OF THE KILLER COVID
BUSINESS.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THEIR POLICY
IS ON TAIWAN.
YOU ARE RIGHT, THEY ARE OUR
ENEMIES, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT
IT?
AND THIS IS AN ACTS OF WAR.
THIS GIGANTIC BALLOON OVER THE
AMERICAN HEARTLAND WHERE WE HAVE
THE MOST SENSITIVE MILITARY
BASES, AND WE ARE GOING TO WAIT
A SECOND, WE ARE GOING TO CANCEL
THIS GUY’S FLIGHT SO BLINKEN
CAN’T GO OVER THERE?
I’M SCRATCHING MY HEAD.
>> IT GETS WORSE.
BUYING THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF
AGRICULTURAL LAND AROUND THE
U.S.
IT THREATENS OUR FOOD SUPPLY.
AND THEY ARE ALSO WORKING NEXT
TO OUR MILITARY FACILITIES.
THERE IS ONE IN GRAND FORKS
NORTH DAKOTA NEXT TO THE AIR
FORCE BASE.
ONE MERE LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE
IN TEXAS.
DO YOU THINK THE CHINESE WOULD
LET US BUY THOUSANDS OF ACRES
AROUND THEIR MOST SENSITIVE AIR
FORCE BASES?
NOT A CHANCE IN HEAVEN THEY
WOULD DO THAT.
IT’S UP TO GREG ABBOTT AND
KRISTI NOEM, THE GOVERNOR OF
SOUTH DAKOTA.
AND THEY ARE IN OUR YFORTSS WITH
THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES.
THEY HAVE HAVE TIKTOK.
DO WE WANT LIBERTY, FREE SPEECH,
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.
OR DO WE WANT A CHINESE MODEL
WHERE THEY ARE THE MIDDLE
KINGDOM AND THEY ARE GOING TO
RULE THE WORLD.
THEIR ECONOMY IS IN TERRIBLE
SHAPE.
WE BEAT HUAWEI, WE CAN BEAT THEM
ON CHIPS.
WE CAN WIN THIS THING.
WE CAN WIN THE ECONOMIC WARS.
THIS IS A COUNTRY THAT ENSLAVES
THEIR OWN PEOPLE.
BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO WIN IT
IF WE LOOK WEAK.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
THIS IN MY CAREER.
THE BALLOON IS STILL HOVERING.
THEY ARE COLLECTING INFORMATION
AS WE SPEAK.
EVERYBODY IS LAUGHING AT US.
LARRY:Y WHERE IS JOHN DUTTON WHO
OWNS THE YELLOWSTONE RANCH?
ROBERT O’BRIEN, THE BEST OF THE
BEST.
>> WE NEED RELATIONSHIP TO TAKE