Drones over NJ: Why didn’t the FAA admit they authorized the flights? Here’s what we know

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A week after taking office, President Trump said in a statement that the thousands of drones that were seen over the skies of New Jersey were not from foreign adversaries, but were instead authorized by the FAA.

That statement raised numerous questions about why the FAA did not tell the FBI and law enforcement officers that the flights had been authorized by them, or why the FAA did not acknowledge that they had authorized the drone flights.

Here’s what we know:

What did President Trump say about drones?

Since his election, Trump had promised that he would get to the bottom of the drone mystery that gripped New Jersey since November, noting that drones had been spotted over his golf course in Bedminster. Here’s what he said in a statement he found after “research and study”:

“The drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by FAA for research and various other reasons … this was not the enemy,” Trump said in a written statement read by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the first press briefing of the new administration.

There was no further explanation as to what “research and various other reasons” the FAA had authorized.

In the statement, Leavitt said many of the drones spotted over New Jersey were also flown by hobbyists for recreational purposes.

“In time, it got worse because of curiosity,” Leavitt said of all the drone sightings

Why didn’t the FAA tell law enforcement or state officials it was them?

The FAA did not directly answer that question or say why the FAA did not admit the drones had been authorized by that agency.

When asked why the FAA never revealed it authorized the drones to fly for research purposes, FAA spokesman Christopher Mullooly on Tuesday referred the matter to the White House for its official statement. He added for background that the FAA’s role is to ensure drones operate safely within the broader National Airspace System and said it is legal to operate drones under 400 feet while complying with all rules, including avoiding restricted airspace and other aircraft.

How is this different from what the Biden administration said?

The FAA never admitted during the uproar about drones last year that they had authorized the flights.

In December, White House Communications Adviser John Kirby said “many” drones were actually lawfully operated manned aircraft that pose no national security or public threat.

He did not disclose that the drones had been authorized by the FAA.

Similarly, when U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the federal government has “deployed additional resources, personnel, technology” to assist the state police in tracking down the drones to help allay resident fears over the drones, he never said that the drones were authorized by the FAA.

Why the discrepancy?

There has been no official explanation as to why the FAA failed to tell New Jersey law enforcement, elected officials, as well as the public, that they had authorized all the mysterious drone flights before the White House statement Tuesday.

There was also no explanation why, if the FAA had authorized the flights, the agency then placed temporary flight restrictions over parts of New Jersey for “special security reasons.” The restrictions prevented any unmanned aircrafts from operating below  feet within a nautical mile of the airspace.

A large drone is demonstrated before the start of press conference. Press Conference held in Seaside Heights to address the issue that little is still known about the hundreds of drone sighting in Monmouth and Ocean Counties as well as the New York area.

What does law enforcement say?

When the swarms of drones were first reported over New Jersey in November, state police, as well as local law enforcement, scrambled to track and monitor the drones and often questioned why they were unable to find where the drones were launching from or where they landed.

The FBI launched an investigation into the drone sightings after the New Jersey State Police reported seeing a large drone in the sky. In a joint statement on Dec. 3, the FBI Newark, NJ State Police, and NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness asked “the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River.”

After Trump’s statement on Tuesday, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden expressed “extreme disappointment with the Federal Aviation Administration” in a post on Facebook, noting that the drone activity “caused widespread panic and fear among residents.”

“The unexplained drone activity led to significant public concern with residents, members of law enforcement, state, federal and local authorities scrambling for answers,” Golden, a Republican, said on the post. “The FAA’s lack of transparency regarding the nature of the operation heightened alarm and created unnecessary anxiety in the community. It led to a waste of taxpayer resources to track and chase down suspicious reports.”

Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, whose office went out nightly searching for drones at the height of the reports, said, “I’m very pleased to find out that it was government” that was involved.

Mastronardy had not ruled out foreign intrusions early in his hunt for the drones, which drew headlines. “Just tell us what you’re doing and I’m good.”

What was the reaction of state and local officials?

Gov. Phil Murphy posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Glad to see the @WhiteHouse confirm there was no known threat to the public. Grateful for our partnership with law enforcement on this matter.”

Republican officials said they were angered that the Biden administration did not admit FAA involvement earlier.

“It’s absurd that the Biden Administration flat out lied to the American people for months about this,” said Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, R-Ocean. “They continually tried to tell everyone they were seeing things and nothing was going on, when they knew what it was all along. It certainly begs the question … Why?”

State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Somerset, added “there is no reason for the federal government to withhold this information from the public.

“The lack of communication from the Biden administration led to very real concern from New Jer