At the start of the in-studio interview, Jean-Pierre was asked about the "unidentified object" shot down by a U.S. fighter jet over Canada.
The press secretary said that "out of an abundance of caution, and by the recommendation by the militaries for President Biden and Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau, an unauthorized unmanned object," was taken down "in airways in the North American airspace."
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, seen with Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council John Kirby, says the Biden admin's promise is to always track, detect and defend our airspace. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
She said the object had been monitored by NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] over the prior 24 hours or more, so Biden "authorized the F-22, which is a fighter aircraft, to take it down." "We did it in conjunction with Canada," she told Capehart. "The promise is we're always going to track. We're always going to detect, and we're always going to defend our airspace. And that's what the American people should expect."
Capehart noted that multiple antennas have reportedly been collected in the debris from the Chinese surveillance balloon that traveled across the continental US before ultimately being shot down off the coast of South Carolina "that may have been capable if collecting geolocating communications." But Jean-Pierre declined to provide more details, saying the Department of Defense was conducting the analysis, and she did not want to get ahead of the military or intelligence community on its capabilities.
President Joe Biden has indicated he intends to run for re-election in 2024 but has not officially announced his candidacy. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
"The president wanted to make sure that first that we would do it where it was safe and that the American civilians were safe, but also in a way that we would be able to collect," she said.
When asked about the FBI searching the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence last week, Jean-Pierre declined to comment, insisting the Biden administration is for an "independent" DOJ. Though she did not reference it, Pence was issued a Department of Justice subpoena last week from special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Classified documents were also found at Biden’s home in Delaware.
Former Vice President Mike Pence received a DOJ subpoena last week. (Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"When it comes to the Department of Justice, they are independent," Jean-Pierre said. "We are very different than the last administration. We want to make sure that their independence is brought back to the Department of Justice. So we just don't comment on any investigation that are currently happening."
Pence too is reportedly mulling a potential 2024 run, but so far only Trump has officially announced candidacy.