Joe Biden Addresses Mysterious Drone Sightings For The First Time

President Joe Biden on Tuesday addressed the mystery around the drones seen above parts of the East Coast for the first time, seeking to reassure the public that there is “nothing nefarious” about the sightings.

“Nothing nefarious apparently, but they’re checking it all out,” he told reporters.

Drone sightings in New Jersey and other parts of the East Coast have prompted widespread speculation and conspiracy theories since November with a Republican representative going as far as suggesting they are being launched from an Iranian “mothership” in the Atlantic Ocean. Federal officials have disputed such claims and repeatedly said there is no threat to the public.

“There’s a lot of drones authorized up there,” Biden said.

“We’re following this closely, but so far no sense of danger,” he continued.

Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump asserted that the government knows more about the drones than they’re letting on without offering any evidence to back up his claim.

“Our military knows and our president knows and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense,” he said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.

Trump added that there are many drones flying close to his Bedminster golf club.

But the White House maintains that Trump’s New Jersey golf club is safe, noting that it already represents restricted airspace and is closely monitored.

“We’re confident in our ability to keep that airspace safe and secure,” John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

In a joint statement released Monday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security along with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense said they have received tips of over 5,000 reported drone sightings over the past few weeks with approximately 100 leads generated. They said they are investigating those reports.

“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the statement reads.

“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast,” it added.

A short-term funding bill unveiled by congressional leaders on Tuesday includes a provision that would reconfirm a DHS program that enables federal agencies to coordinate about threats from drones, according to NBC News.