The White House said Tuesday the drones spotted flying over New Jersey late last year were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration for “research and various other reasons.”
Before taking questions at her first news briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she had an update on the drones to relay “directly” from recently sworn in President Donald Trump.
“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt said.
“Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In time, it got worse due to curiosity,” she continued, referring to the confusion and paranoia ignited by the increasing number of reports that spread across the state and the Northeast in November and December.
“This was not the enemy,” Leavitt said. She did not further clarify what kind of “research” was being conducted over New Jersey, nor what the “various other reasons” for the drones’ presence might have been.
A spokesperson for the FAA referred a request for comment on Tuesday afternoon back to the White House, as did a representative for the FBI’s Newark office. It is unclear whether the FBI’s investigation into the drone reports is ongoing.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the update.
In a statement on Tuesday, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, criticized the Biden administration for its “lack of communication,” which he said led to “very real concern” among New Jerseyans.
“Government transparency is paramount and I appreciate the Trump administration providing this information to the public,” said Bramnick, a candidate for governor this year.
In mid-December, federal authorities said that the vast majority of drone sightings were cases of “mistaken identity.”
In a joint statement, the FAA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense said the objects being reported were almost all “lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
By then, thousands of reports had been called in from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio.
Public officials have repeatedly stressed that there was no evidence the sightings posed a threat to public safety or national security.
Still, some lawmakers exacerbated fears by spreading drone misinformation. In early January, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., suggested the drones were coming from an Iranian “mothership” anchored off the United States’ coastline.
The U.S. Department of Defense categorically shot Van Drew down, saying there was “no truth” to his theory.
As apprehension and anxiety spread, however, others called on the federal government to take more decisive action. Murphy wrote to then-President Joe Biden to request more resources be diverted “to understand what is behind this activity.”
The FAA also announced a series of drone flight bans over critical infrastructure. The restrictions, which impacted around 50 towns in New Jersey, expired earlier this month.
Less than a week before taking office, Trump vowed that one of his first acts as president would be to release “a report on drones.”
Asked by a reporter for an update just hours into his administration, he ordered his chief of staff to “immediately” get to the bottom of the mystery.
“I would like to find out what it is and tell the people,” Trump told reporters in the room.