Joe Biden tried to cover up downing of spy balloon after being humiliated by China
A US official claimed that the President "wasn't paying attention" despite warnings from the military.
US President Joe Biden planned to cover up the shooting of the Chinese spy balloon in January to hide it from public knowledge, it has been reported.
It also alleged that Mr Biden only went public with the story once civilians had seen the huge orb floating over Montana.
Speaking to NBC News, a senior US official said: “Before it was spotted publicly, there was the intention to study it and let it pass over and not ever tell anyone about it."
The balloon hovered over American airspace and snapped images of US military sites.
Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck called Gen. Mark Milley, President Biden’s top military adviser, to warn the White House of what was happening.
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However, the news didn't reach Mr Biden until January 31.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was reportedly too “focused” on a trip to Asia to to take notice of the spy balloon.
A senior US official said: “They weren’t paying attention."
By this point, the balloon had traveled across half of Canada and then re-entered the US over Montana.
During its flight, data was being sent back to Beijing.
The story got national coverage after the Billings Gazette in Montana posted images of the balloon on February 2.
The US Air Force shot the balloon down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.
In June, Mr Biden told reporters: “I don’t think the leadership knew where it was, and knew what was in it, and knew what was going on.
“I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional.?
“There was no intention to keep this from Congress at any point,” a Biden administration official said, contending that the extended silence was necessary to “protect intel equities related to finding and tracking” the spycraft.
A Biden administration official said that "there was no intention to keep this from Congress at any point", adding that the extended silence was necessary to “protect intel equities related to finding and tracking” the spycraft.