By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-12 17:11:43 | Updated at 2024-12-23 08:25:29
1 week ago
A congressman is standing by his bombshell claim that mysterious drones sighted over his state are coming from an 'Iranian mothership' off the east coast.
Jeff Van Drew, A New Jersey Republican, repeated his assertion less than one day after the Pentagon said it is not true.
He accused the Pentagon of being 'incredibly stupid and incredibly weak' when it comes to addressing the drones.
'I had credible individuals who have high security ratings, and they came to me and again, these are dependable, credible individuals that have security clearance that felt they wanted to clear the air,' Van Drew told Fox News on Thursday.
'They were in essence whistleblowers and said look, they believe there's a real possibility it could be Iran,' the lawmaker insisted.
'There could be a ship out. Not right on the coast of New Jersey, not right there, but these drones as sighted by the coast guard are coming in and out of the ocean,' he continued.
It came one day after Van Drew make the jaw-dropping claim point blank that his sources said Iran had launched a 'mothership' about a month ago where the drones are based, and it's now stationed off the coast.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew doubled down that the mysterious drones sighted over New Jersey could be coming from Iran, one day after the Pentagon rejected his original claim that sources said there's an 'Iranian mothership' off the U.S. coast
Van Drew argued Thursday the U.S. is not being told the truth and the American public are being treated as 'stupid.'
His accusations came in response to the Pentagon, which shot down his initial claim almost immediately Wednesday afternoon.
'There's no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called "mothership" launching drones toward the United States,' said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.
She reiterated the Pentagon does not believe the drones are coming from a foreign adversary but also stated they are not U.S. military drones.
Swarms of drones have been spotted in the skies of New Jersey for weeks, sparking officials to call for a 'limited state of emergency'
'The government claims it's not them. They say it's not them, so who is it?' Van Drew asked Thursday.
The GOP lawmaker claimed the drones are not the 'backyard drones' of a hobbyist and more sophisticated than those commercially available.
He said the U.S. needs some real answers, but when asked to respond directly to the Pentagon rejecting his Iran claim, Van Drew expanded his accusations.
'These drones very well could be launched from a ship,' he insisted. 'It could be hundreds of miles out at sea. These types of drones go much greater distances.'
'So there is a real possibility. Could it be China? Absolutely. Could it be something else? It sure could,' he said.
Van Drew said 'they don't know what it is, what it's about. They haven't taken one down to analyze it.'
He said even if officials give more information, it's 'a month too late.'
The sightings started mid-November with footage capturing 'car-sized' drones with flashing lights
According to one NJ local, this image depicts roughly nine of the unidentified drones flying in to the Garden State from the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday night, December 5
But the Pentagon was not the only one to dismiss the lawmaker's 'mothership' claims.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also slammed Van Drew's original comments about the drones coming from Iran as a 'wild assertation.'
He noted the FBI said there was zero evidence to support Van Drew's original claim.
'I'm not sure what he's been watching lately, but he might want to watch the news,' Murphy responded in a radio interview with WNYC.
He has been in contact with the White House over the situation. The governor said he understands people are frustrated and called it a top priority.
The FBI and local and state officials have been investigating the mysterious drone sightings that witnesses have spotted on numerous occasions.
Residents have noted the unexplained cluster of 'drones' and a possible fixed wing aircraft for several weeks which have sparked concerns as they have been seen flying over sensitive locations, such as military instillations.
A top FBI official told House lawmakers on Tuesday that they still do not know where the drones are coming from or who is responsible for them.
But he did note some of the drones are believed to be bigger than those commercially available.
