House Intelligence Committee member says China pulled spy balloon stunt to make the US look weak

Stewart said that the balloon should have been shot down a lot earlier and a lot quicker.
Footage of the balloon after its destruction

Utah congressman and member of the House Intelligence Committee Chris Stewart says that China knew that the Biden administration would have a weak reaction to the spy balloon.

"This makes him look weak," Rep. Stewart said on "Just the News, No Noise" Wednesday. "That's why they did it. That's why they did it again during the time that our secretary of state was supposed to be in China. It was their design and intention to make him look weak, and he unfortunately played into their hands."

Last week a Chinese spy balloon was spotted entering American airspace and was eventually shot down by the military after moving out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Stewart said that the balloon should have been shot down a lot earlier and a lot quicker.

"We could have destroyed this balloon and we could have destroyed it safely and out over the water versus over our own land," he stated. "And they chose not to do that. The President never intended to make this public."

Stewart noted that if it weren't for the press, the China spy balloon story would have never been covered. 

"It was only because our own press reports made the American people aware," he continued. "Then there was such an uproar that they finally admitted what they already knew. And then they finally admitted, 'Well, we probably shouldn't send the secretary to China right now.' But if it were not for people observing the balloon, they wouldn't have ever told us about any of this."