Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) expressed his support of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's cancellation of his upcoming trip to Beijing, China.
Gallagher said the secretary made the "right call" after the discovery of a suspected Chinese balloon.
In a Twitter video on Friday, Gallagher claimed that the United States could not reward China for its "flagrant violation of our sovereignty." He also said he believes that keeping the meeting would have been a "bad look" for U.S. diplomacy.
SUSPECTED CHINESE SPY BALLOON DISCOVERED FLOATING OVER NORTHERN US
"I think this [balloon] is indicative of the growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and its aggressive policies," Gallagher said.
"It's the latest evidence that the CCP's techno-totalitarian vision and strategies are not confined to Chinese borders and are threatening us here at home."
Rep. Gallagher on the CCP spy balloon: "This is exactly why @SpeakerMcCarthy created the @CommitteeonCCP -- to push back against CCP aggression in bipartisan fashion. This isn't just an over there problem...it's a matter of defending our own interests and American sovereignty." pic.twitter.com/EMdxXv4cgj
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) February 3, 2023
Gallagher added that he believes the balloon is likely gathering surveillance instead of being a civilian weather balloon, as the Chinese Communist Party claimed. He said it should have been shot down before it entered U.S. airspace.
"This is a surveillance device controlled by a hostile foreign adversary, illegally entered U.S. airspace, violating our sovereignty, and inexplicably we are allowing it to continue flying over our country," Gallagher said. "I don't buy the CCP's narrative that this was just a civilian weather balloon."
Department of Defense officials revealed Thursday that the department has been monitoring what they believe is a Chinese spy balloon for a few days now. One senior official claimed they had "very high confidence" that the balloon belonged to China.
The Pentagon opted not to shoot down the balloon when it was over Montana, in part because officials assessed that it doesn’t pose a physical threat to the U.S. or to civilian aviation. There is also the risk of civilian harm if they shot it down.
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Among those advocating for the balloon to be shot down are former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Democrats slammed Republicans for wanting to shoot it down. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he would rather own the balloon than pick up the charred remains of the balloon if it were shot down.
The Pentagon maintains that the balloon does not pose a threat to U.S. civilians.