President-elect Donald Trump claimed Monday that the federal government knows the origins of the mystery drones flies over New Jersey and other East Coast states, but wants to “keep people in suspense.”
The president-elect has provided no evidence to back up his claim and declined to comment on whether he was provided with a briefing note on the matter. He said the federal government should let the public know what it has learned about the situation.
Trump made these comments in a long-term exchange with reporters Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Drone sightings in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other states along the East Coast have raised concerns among local officials who want answers about the drones, some of which are located near military installations.
“The government knows what’s happening,” Trump claimed, although the extent of the government’s knowledge is unknown. “Look, our military knows where they left from. If it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went. And for some reason they don’t want to comment. I think they’d be better off saying what our military knows and what our president knows. And for some reason they want to keep people in suspense.”
Trump said he “can’t imagine it’s the enemy” behind the drones. He also said the drone sightings occurred near his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, where he often spends the warmer months.
“For some reason they don’t want to tell people, and they should,” he continued. “Because the people really, I mean, happen to be above Bedminster. They are very close to Bedminster. I think I might not spend the weekend in Bedminster. I have decided to cancel my trip.’
It is unclear whether Trump had plans to visit Bedminster.
Federal lawmakers are pushing for more measures to track the drones.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday said he requests the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security a detection system.
Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida The election of newly elected President Donald Trump as national security advisorsaid Sunday on Face the Nation that federal agencies are “pointing fingers at each other” to figure out what’s happening.
The FBI is the lead agency investigating the flying objects, a federal official said last week. An FBI official told CBS News that the agency has received several thousand tips. Local law enforcement agencies are also investigating.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
