NJ lawmaker fires back after Pentagon dismisses claim drones may be linked to Iran: ‘Weakness and stupidity’

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., fired back after high-ranking officials dismissed claims he gathered from “very qualified” and “reliable” sources linking mystery drones flying over New Jersey airspace to an Iranian “mothership” parked off the U.S. East Coast.

“They’ve been incredibly stupid and incredibly weak with this,” Van Drew said Thursday on “America’s Newsroom.” 

“We know they’re not backyard drones that some hobbyist is using because they’re much more sophisticated than that. We know that they’re not a commercial company within the United States because we don’t even have this level of sophistication yet. We are a full decade behind where China is with drones. The government claims it’s not them. They say it’s not them, so who is it?”

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Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., participates in the House Judiciary Committee markup of the “report recommending that the House of Representatives cite Attorney General Merrick Garland for Contempt of Congress” on Thursday, May 16, 2024.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He continued, “I have 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 that they wanted to clear the air. They were, in essence, whistleblowers, and they believe there’s a real possibility it could be Iran, that there could be a ship not right on the coast of New Jersey. These drones, as cited by the Coast Guard, are coming in and out of the ocean. They’re going to the ocean. They’re not pontoons. They’re not landing on the water. They’re landing on something. We’re not being told the truth. They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.”

Mystery drones have been populating airspace over the Garden State for approximately a month, soaring over residential areas with flashing lights and no clear motive, prompting officials and state residents to demand answers regarding their origins.

Van Drew, who sits on the Transportation Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee, initially claimed Wednesday that confidential but “responsible” sources told him the mysterious aircraft came from an Iranian mothership, though the claim has not been verified. He also called for the drones to be “shot down.”

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Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin asked Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh about Van Drew’s allegations during a briefing Wednesday, where she dismissed the claim.

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called ‘mothership’ launching drones toward the United States,” she said.

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also dismissed the claim, stating in part that the Defense Department had “zero evidence to that effect.”

“The FBI said zero evidence. I’m not sure what he’s [Van Drew] been watching lately, but he might want to watch the news…” he continued, adding that the situation is his “top priority.”

Murphy posted to X last Thursday that “there is no known threat to the public at this time.” State officials have said they are taking the mystery drone sightings “seriously.”

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“These drones very well could be launched from a ship. It could be hundreds of miles out at sea,” Van Drew said, replying to such dismissals. 

“These types of drones go much greater distances. These are something that we normally don’t see in the United States, so there is a real possibility. Could it be China? Absolutely. Could it be somebody else? It sure could. Here’s the deal: They don’t know what it is. They don’t know what it’s about. They haven’t taken one down to analyze it. They have no idea where it comes from, but they know that it’s not that? I mean, that’s nonsense. They do not know what they’re doing. Why don’t they take one of them down, analyze it, and let us know what’s really happening? 

“I hope they know more than they’re telling us, but that’s disrespectful to the public and to Congress. It’s about time they leveled with the truth.”