Ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday said drones have been flying over his home, too — and ripped Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas for downplaying concerns about them.
Christie suggested that the non-answers coming from officials including Mayorkas are to blame for the widespread panic over the recent bizarre and unexplained sightings across the Garden State, New York and the country.
“They’re not answering the questions,” Christie told ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos of federal officials.
Stephanopoulos noted that Mayorkas has said his department “is monitoring it, they haven’t seen any unusual activity, and they need more authority” to down drones when necessary.
Christie said he agrees that the department needs greater authority over the situation but took issue with Mayorkas’ claims that the unidentified flying objects were not “unusual.”
“To say this is not unusual activity, it’s just wrong!” Christie exclaimed. “I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life. This is the first time that I’ve noticed drones over my house.”
Earlier in the programming, Mayorkas was a guest and seemingly downplayed the thousands of drone sightings to Stephanopoulos, telling him there are “thousands of drones flown every day in the United States.”
Mayorkas also noted that the Federal Aviation Administration changed its rules in 2023 and now allows drones to fly at night, meaning there may be more nighttime spotting now than before.
“That is the reality. But I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities,” Mayorkas said.
Christie took issue with what he considered a non-answer, telling Stephanopoulos that people are so tired of not having any information on the drones they’ve started approaching him in public to ask if he knows anything about them.
“I was in a restaurant in Monmouth County on Friday night. Had people at the bar coming up to me and saying, ‘Governor Murphy, won’t tell me anything. The president won’t tell me anything,’ ” Christie said.
“We’re used to having [information] so rapidly. If you don’t fill that vacuum, then all the conspiracy theories get filled in there,” Christie said, calling out local Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who has insisted the drones are coming from an Iranian mothership offshore.
The former governor added: “The Biden Administration and state authorities have to be more vocal and let people know exactly what they are doing.”
The post Chris Christie says drones flew over his NJ home, too — and rips DHS chief Mayorkas for claiming nothing ‘unusual’: ‘It’s just wrong!’ appeared first on New York Post.
