Joe Biden and His Administration Planned to Keep Chinese Spy Balloon Incursion a Secret from the Public and Congress

A damning new report has revealed that the Joe Biden administration intended to keep the Chinese spy balloon, which traveled across North America earlier this year, a secret from the public and even from Congress, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The revelation came to light after civilians spotted the massive white orb over Montana. According to a former senior US official, there was a plan to study the balloon and let it pass over without informing anyone about its presence.

The incident began when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the spy balloon entering US airspace over Alaska on January 27.

Concerned about this alarming intrusion, Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck immediately contacted General Mark Milley, President Biden's top military adviser, to inform the administration.

Biden himself was not informed until January 31, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was allegedly too focused on a diplomatic trip to Asia to pay attention to the situation.

According to the New York Post, as the balloon continued its meandering journey and collected data from military sites, it traveled across half of Canada before re-entering the US over Montana. The Biden administration maintained silence about the incident until several Americans spotted the orb high above.

The story gained national attention after the local Montana paper, The Billings Gazette, published photos of the strange craft on February 2, triggering outrage.

Finally, on February 4, US Air Force jets intercepted and shot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. It had managed to float clear across the continent before being taken down. Only after this were Congress members fully briefed on the situation.

Months later, President Biden attempted to excuse Beijing for the incursion, stating that he did not believe China's leadership knew the exact location, contents, or purpose of the balloon. He described the incident as "more embarrassing than intentional."

Some officials in the Biden administration and Congress criticized the lack of attention and action on their part. A senior US official expressed that "they weren't paying attention."

In response to criticism about keeping this incident a secret, a Biden administration official claimed there was no intention to withhold information from Congress. They argued that the extended silence was necessary to protect intelligence equities related to finding and tracking the spycraft.

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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the balloon was the size of three school buses and was reportedly equipped with surveillance devices and solar panels as it flew toward the U.S.