President Joe Biden said he wanted to shoot it down on Wednesday but was told it was too risky. The balloon came down three days later.
In the hours that followed U.S. military officials shooting down a balloon the Pentagon said was used by China for spying, lawmakers started pointing fingers at each other.
The balloon drifted over U.S. airspace last week. It was first reported over Montana on Thursday, then later seen over the Kansas City area by Friday. It was shot down near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday.On Sunday morning talk shows, the Biden administration took the blame from Republican lawmakers.
“He allowed a full week for the Chinese to conduct spying operations over the United States, over sensitive military installations, exposing not just photographs but the potential of intercepted communications. And more broadly, I think this entire episode telegraphed weakness to Xi and the Chinese government,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”“On Wednesday, when I was briefed on the balloon, I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down, on Wednesday, as soon as possible,” he said.