U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday requesting an update on the investigation into how China used U.S. technology on the spy balloon that flew over Montana and the rest of the United States in February. The FBI was tasked with investigating how U.S. technology ended up on the spy balloon but so far has not provided an update to Congress.
The letter states in part:
“As President Biden prepares to meet Xi Jinping in San Francisco, it is imperative that the administration prioritize the safety and security of the American people. With that in mind, I am writing to request the current status and preliminary findings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) investigation into the equipment utilized on the Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon in February 2023. As you know, the Chinese spy balloon traversed over U.S. nuclear missile fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, before continuing to fly over the country unabated…
“Shortly after the February 2023 incident, reports indicated the Chinese spy balloon was loaded with American-made equipment. Given these reports, it is extremely concerning that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not only conducting brazen spy operations within U.S. airspace, but testing the limitations to which they can utilize U.S. telecommunications technology during such violations of U.S. national sovereignty. Combined with the fact that China has been spying on the United States from a base in Cuba since 2019, all of this indicates a pattern of continued malign intentions on the part of the CCP.
“Because the United States does not share military technology with China or allow trade with entities that are considered part of the Chinese military, it is imperative for the Administration to immediately identify how China has obtained and illegally deployed this technology and ensure this does not happen again. This act of espionage shows the high likelihood that China is skirting and evading both the law and spirit of U.S. military end-use export restrictions.”
Read the full letter HERE.
See more of Daines’ work on investigating the Chinese spy balloon HERE.
