They could have known, or more likely assumed that it was just a "harmless" little Chinese balloon based on prior encounters with them over the USA. Encounters that the deep state has been hiding from the public, and covering up for years.
The DoD allegedly made a claim that the balloons have been violating US air space for years. That is a very serious allegation that demands an investigation to determine whether the allegation is true, or not.
If true, someone needs to be held accountable for failures to defend US air space. If false, then someone in the DoD needs to be held accountable for spreading lies. Either way, an investigation must happen.
They could have known, or more likely assumed that it was just a "harmless" little Chinese balloon based on prior encounters with them over the USA. Encounters that the deep state has been hiding from the public, and covering up for years.
The DoD allegedly made a claim that the balloons have been violating US air space for years. That is a very serious allegation that demands an investigation to determine whether the allegation is true, or not.
If true, someone needs to be held accountable for failures to defend US air space. If false, then someone in the DoD needs to be held accountable for spreading lies. Either way, an investigation must happen.