A series of mysterious drone sightings around the East Coast has lawmakers grasping for solutions to an unfamiliar problem and federal agencies “pointing at each other” to figure out what’s going on, Trump’s likely incoming national security adviser said Sunday.
“We need to know who’s behind it,” said Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser. “But right now, I think law enforcement seems to be…the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department are kind of doing this and pointing at each other.”
Speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Waltz said he believes the drone issue — which sparked outcry and demands for answers from civilians and leaders alike — highlights lapses in authority between local law enforcement and federal agencies like the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.
“I think Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from,” he added. “It’s pointing to gaps in our capabilities and in our ability to clamp down on what’s going on here. And we need to get to the bottom of it.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, echoed the congressman’s concern in a separate interview Sunday on “Face the Nation.” In addition to a briefing for members of the Senate to discuss the situation, she also called for “more transparency” and “new regulatory rules in place” for drone use.
“We’ve got to figure out, do we really want all these drones? Because while these may be safe, who knows what happens in the future?” said Klobuchar. “They have to be within 400 feet [from the ground], so these things are going to be what? Flying over people’s family picnics and over their homes and over beaches? This is not going to be a good future if we see too many of these.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, announced Sunday that he is working to pass a bill in the Senate that would give local authorities more resources for drone detection. He also asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to deploy drone-detection technology to New York and New Jersey.
“The laws on where and when and who can fly drones are rather limited. This legislation will help,” Schumer said at a briefing. “We’ve talked to the Homeland Security and the FBI and we told them we need answers quickly.”
Amid the comments from lawmakers, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that he had seen drones from over his own house.
“Two mornings ago, over my house at 6:15 in the morning, I saw them myself,” Christie said. “So did my wife, and so yeah, they’re there. And I’ve been traveling around New Jersey, as I normally do, all week. And I can’t tell you the number of people have come to me concerned about it.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday that her state would be receiving a drone detection system from the federal government.
“I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones,” the governor said in a statement.
Drones have been spotted in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other eastern states, sometimes flying near military installations as well as near Trump’s golf course in Bedminister, New Jersey. A federal official said Thursday that the FBI was leading the investigation into the sightings. An FBI official told CBS News the same day that the agency had received several thousand tips, and local law enforcement was also investigating.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey suggested last week that there was an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast of the United States launching the drones, which Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh refuted.
Two people were arrested in Boston Saturday night on trespassing charges, after police said they were involved in a “hazardous drone operation,” CBS Boston reported. An officer spotted a drone flying close to Logan Airport and found the drone’s location, altitude and flight history in order to trace the machine back to its apparent operators, Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, according to Boston police.
