The Joe Biden White House wants Americans to believe John Kirby over their own lying eyes.
Americans looking for answers about a flurry of continuous, unexplained aerial activity over New Jersey didn’t get a lot of help from the White House National Security communications adviser on Thursday, when Kirby used a news briefing to downplay concerns about potential danger in the strange, nighttime sightings.
In fact, Kirby — a man with his own credibility problems — ended up infuriating local officials and residents who’ve actually witnessed the phenomena.
Since late November, the objects have been spotted regularly over northern New Jersey, appearing and disappearing without explanation.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican, went public with the charge — based on what he called “very qualified sources” — that the objects were actually drones being launched from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast.
At the briefing on Thursday, Kirby claimed all those sightings are just misunderstandings from observers on the ground.
John Kirby on drone activity in and around New Jersey: “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus… We have not been able to…corroborate any of the reported visual sightings.” pic.twitter.com/xfxFaJQUaN
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2024
“Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to — and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities — corroborate any of the reported visual sightings,” he said, as recorded by a White House transcript.
Can the White House be trusted on this matter?
“To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”
So, those ignorant knuckledraggers in New Jersey don’t know drones from planes and helicopters?
Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News senior White House correspondent, didn’t let the statement go unchallenged.
When the briefing opened for questions, she drilled down hard. Citing concerns from elected officials about the activity occurring “near critical infrastructure, sensitive locations, including reservoirs and military installations,” she stated the obvious about Kirby’s claim.
“Can you make that make more sense?” she asked. “Because I think people in New York and New Jersey see drones the size of an SUV over their house every night and think that that doesn’t make any sense.”
One of them is Sam Morris, mayor of Mine Hill Township, New Jersey.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Morris blasted Kirby’s statement as “ridiculous.”
“I would invite Mr. Kirby to Mine Hill. Come on out, Mr. Kirby, and let’s go out one night about 9:30, 10 o’clock,” he said. “I’ll go out behind my town hall, and you can count them with me all night.”
New Jersey Mayor Sam Morris says that Kirby’s drone statements are ridiculous
“I would invite Mr. Kirby to Mine Hill… I’ll go out behind my town hall, and you can count em with me all night.”pic.twitter.com/yYcDM9zIYg
— Red Panda Koala (@RedPandaKoala) December 12, 2024
And it’s not just Mine Hill. Morris cited a report from a neighboring town, where “there’s anywhere from 30 to 40 [sightings] a night, and every night they’re in the same place doing the same things.”
“So I have to say, Mr. Kirby, that’s a lot of nonsense.”
Many agreed, including Rich Zeoli, a conservative radio host in Philadelphia, who sarcastically summed up Kirby’s explanation as the objects being ” just a guy with a couple of drones he got at Best Buy.”
Kirby: don’t worry about all the drones in the sky. It’s just a guy with a couple of drones he got at Best Buy pic.twitter.com/dmmn68Cdqu
— Rich Zeoli (@Richzeoli) December 12, 2024
And there plenty of others critics.
They either don’t know, don’t care or lying about it. I think they are lying.
— DEPLORABLE ULTRA MAGA Susan (@susanbnj) December 12, 2024
so, to recap: the drones aren’t foreign, aren’t u.s. government, and are not uaps.
they are not a threat to civilians or national security.
and according to kirby, the government can’t corroborate any visual sightings.
are people in new jersey [nj] experiencing mass… https://t.co/EYKa282RDQ pic.twitter.com/TLnyGkL9Q3
— (@WoodsandWander) December 13, 2024
Reporter: “can you make that make more sense? Because it’s car-sized aircraft flying around in the sky.”
Kirby: “duhh derp plplplpl duuhrr” pic.twitter.com/12O0ZGqL4F
— Dr Frensor (@drfrensor) December 12, 2024
When it comes to Kirby’s credibility, it’s important to remember that he was the spokesman for the State Department during the final years of the Obama administration — a White House that was infamous for lying to the American people and getting away with it thanks to a coddling White House press corps.
(As State Department mouthpiece, Kirby helped sell the country Obama’s Iran nuclear deal — which was later renounced by President Donald Trump only for the Biden administration to try to revive it, unsuccessfully, with John Kirby back on the scene.)
In the Biden years, he’s been talked about as a rival and potential replacement for the serial liar Karine Jean-Pierre as White House press secretary.
In short, however much conservatives might normally honor a man who spent a career in military service, ending up with the rank of Navy rear admiral, John Kirby’s record over the past decade-plus of public life doesn’t instill confidence — and Thursday’s news conference didn’t help.
Sane Americans will trust their lying eyes instead.
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