Does China Control America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves?


Posted originally on Apr 19, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. Reminded the US Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, “We are not governed by a world government – yet!” The Biden Administration consulted with China before selling off America’s strategic petroleum reserves. In 2021, Granholm admitted that she spoke with the Chinese Communist Party about coordinating how America would handle its nation’s highly sensitive emergency oil reserves.  “Does [China] call you to ask about decisions on what to do with their strategic petroleum reserve?” Schmitt questioned.

Granholm followed the Biden Administration protocol and blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She stated that America was simply insisting that the world operate in a coordinated effort to supply other nations with oil amid a shortage, a shortage that was directly caused by the West. China now has a large stockpile while America has a depleted supply. The reserves have been depleted for years and the people in charge never bothered to replenish America’s stockpile.

Instead, 900,000 barrels were sold to China through Sinopec, a Chinese corporation “which in turn had received billions of dollars from BHR Partners.” This private equity firm just so happens to be co-founded by none other than Hunter Biden, who owns a 10% stake in the company. The public must realize the implications of having a president who has been bought and paid for. I do not criticize Hunter or Joe to simply dismiss the Democrats, I have been trying to expose how major decisions regarding America’s future have been biasedly made by people profiting from shorting America.

It seems as if Joe Biden is making it increasingly easier for China to succeed at the expense of America. The latest round of proposed tariffs will simply make it easier for China to shy away from trade with the US. China was once the largest debt holder of US national debt, a figure that continues to grow every second. China is no longer lining up to purchase our debt. Why would a nation buy the debt of its enemy? That is akin to pulling a gun on someone and asking them for money to pull the trigger.

The rule of law in America has been distorted and there are two tiers of justice. The Biden crime family is above the law. Did Joe Biden put America’s future at risk for personal profit? There MUST be a serious investigation into Joe’s ties with the CCP and Ukraine because we have not yet witnessed the full repercussions of having a treasonous commander-in-chief.

Shooting Down the Chinese Spy Balloon


Watch the spy balloon get shot down by two American Jets on February 4, 2023

Please! Don’t Shoot!


Armstrong Economics Blog/Humor Re-Posted Feb 22, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

U.S. Military Completes Mission to Recover Chinese Surveillance Balloon, Optics and Electronics Now Being Tested by FBI


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2023 | Sundance

The White House is trying to put the best spin on the Chinese spy balloon events by claiming the U.S. military jammed the electronics attached rendering the ability of the surveillance equipment incapable of transmission to relays (satellites) or mainland China.

Additionally, according to the White House strategic communications spokesperson John Kirby, the main structure of the electronics, optics and surveillance system has been recovered by the U.S. military and the equipment is now being studied and reverse engineered. WATCH (05:18 Prompted):

(Via Reuters) – The United States said on Friday it had successfully concluded recovery efforts off South Carolina to collect sensors and other debris from a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down by a U.S. fighter jet on Feb. 4, and investigators are now analyzing its “guts.”

The last of the debris fro the Chinese balloon, which was downed by a Sidewinder missile, is heading to an FBI laboratory in Virginia for analysis, the U.S. military’s Northern Command said in a statement.

Reuters was first to report the conclusion of the recovery efforts, which were halted on Thursday.

“It’s a significant amount (of recovered material), including the payload structure as well as some of the electronics and the optics, and all that’s now at the FBI laboratory in Quantico,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Kirby said the United States had already learned a lot about the balloon by observing it as it flew over the United States.

“We’re going to learn even more, we believe, by getting a look at the guts inside it and seeing how it worked and what it was capable of,” he told a White House news briefing.

The U.S. military said Navy and Coast Guard vessels that had been scouring the sea for nearly two weeks have departed the area.

“Air and maritime safety perimeters have been lifted,” Northern Command said in a statement.

The U.S. military has said it believes it has collected all of the Chinese balloon’s priority sensors and electronics as well as large sections of its structure, elements that could help counterintelligence officials determine how Beijing may have been collecting and transmitting surveillance information. (read more)

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand Says, “We Engaged and Defeated the Object” That Entered Canadian Airspace


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 11, 2023 | Sundance

February 11, 2023 | Sundance | 158 Comments

Canada’s politically and culturally correct Defense Minister Anita Anand held a press conference in Ottawa after a US warplane shot down an unidentified object flying over northern Canada on the orders of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

While reminding Canadians of the vital importance of working to protect the indigenous people of North America, and reminding the nation that all measures will be taken to ensure their safety as the recovery efforts continue, Defense Minister Anand emphasized the importance of the moment stating (06:55), “we detected this object together” with NORAD, and “we defeated this object together.”

A rather odd choice of carefully selected words, inferring “the object” was fighting back.  WATCH:

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FAA Closes Airspace in Havre, Montana, to Support Defense Dept Activities


Posted originally on the CTH on February 11, 2023 | Sundance

Curiousor and curiousor….  According to several media outlets, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed the airspace in/around Havre, Montana, in order to support ongoing U.S. Defense Department activities.

(Via Fox News) […] The Federal Aviation Administration announced Saturday it has issued a temporary flight restriction over a portion of Montana shortly after an unidentified object was shot down over Canada.

“The FAA closed some airspace in Montana to support Department of Defense activities,” the FAA told Fox News Digital in a statement on Saturday evening.

The airspace being closed down is in the area around Havre, Montana not far from the U.S. border with Canada. (more)

UPDATE: Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale [LINK]

Suspicious…..  All of it.

Sus!

NORAD Tracks Another – U.S. Shoots Down Another “Unidentified Object” Over Canadian Yukon Airspace


Posted originally on the CTH on February 11, 2023 | Sundance 

Apparently, there is an influx of “unidentified objects”, somewhat similar to surveillance balloons, coming from the Pacific into U.S. and Canadian airspace.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced earlier today a third “unidentified object” was shot down over Canadian airspace in the Yukon territory.  The third high altitude object was tracked by the North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) and intercepted by U.S. military F-22 fighters in coordination with the Canadian military.

(CBS News) – An “unidentified object” which “violated “Canadian airspace” was shot down over Canada Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed.   The object was shot down by a U.S. military F-22 over the Yukon, Trudeau said. 

A U.S. official previously confirmed to CBS News Saturday that the object was detected by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and appeared to be a “high-altitude balloon.” 

Trudeau tweeted that “Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled” after he “ordered the take down” of the object by NORAD. 

In a statement to CBS News, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the object was detected over Alaska on Friday night, and then monitored by two F-22 fighter jets with the assistance of the Alaska Air National Guard. (read more)

It all seems sketchy….

Tucker Carlson Notes the Insufferable Absurdity of Biden Administration Officials About Chinese Spy Balloon


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 7, 2023 | Sundance 

As Mr. Carlson notes, everything about the Biden administration’s claims, reversals, contradictions and justifications surrounding the China spy balloon is ridiculous in the extreme.  All of it, just plain nuts.  WATCH:

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Sunday Talks, Former DNI John Ratcliffe Gives His Opinion of “Chinese Spy Balloon” Story


Posted originally on the CTH on February 5, 2023 | Sundance

The more I see how much attention was exhausted focusuing on the Chinese balloon, the more I am inclined to believe the attention was manufactured by internal deep state operatives.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cancelled his trip to China over the spy balloon issue, and beyond the general cancellation, he also cancelled a rare meeting with Chairman Xi.   Xi never almost never meets with foreign ministers, only Presidents and Prime Ministers.  So, what gives?  Did the intelligence community expose the balloon crossing to stop the Xi/Blinken meeting?  I don’t know, but something is fishy.

Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe gives his .02 cents.   Ratcliffe takes the position that it was an intended spy and surveillance operation by China, and it was successful. WATCH:

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Sunday Talks, House Intel Chairman Mike Turner Discusses Likely China Objectives with Massive Surveillance Balloon


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 5, 2023 | Sundance

House Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) appears on Meet the Press to discuss his perspective on the motive of China to send a massive surveillance balloon over key U.S. military facilities.

According to Chairman Turner, it appears (a) the balloon was designed to capture some intelligence that satellites cannot; and (b) the flight path of the surveillance balloon was steered to cover areas housing key the strategic military bases and missile defenses. WATCH (Transcript Below):

CHUCK TODD: Joining me now is the Republican Chair of the House Intel Committee, Mike Turner of Ohio. Chairman Turner, welcome back to Meet the Press.

REP. MIKE TURNER: Good morning, Chuck.

CHUCK TODD: All right. Let me start with what you know here. So the decision to take this down – what more have you learned? And you’re part of the so-called Gang of Eight. I don’t think you guys have gotten a personal briefing, but I know staff has. What more can you tell us about the take-down operation?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Yeah. Well, clearly the president taking it down over the Atlantic is sort of like the quarterback—sort of like tackling the quarterback after the game is over. The satellite had completed its mission. This should never have been allowed to enter the United States, and it never should’ve been allowed to complete its mission. If you ask somebody to draw an X at every place where our sensitive missile defense sites, our nuclear weapons infrastructure, our nuclear weapon sites are, you would put them all along this path. Clearly, this was an attempt by China to gather information, to defeat our command and control of our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapon sites. And that certainly is an urgency that this administration does not recognize.

CHUCK TODD: Do you think we should have a policy that just anything that enters our airspace that’s a balloon from China gets shot down immediately?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Well, first off, you have to understand this administration didn’t just fail here; they failed to prepare after the first time this happened during this administration. The administration has already admitted, which I’ve been briefed on, that China has done this before in the continental United States during this president’s tenure –

CHUCK TODD: When did that happen?

REP. MIKE TURNER: I – you have to let them release it; I can’t release classified information, but they can tell you.

CHUCK TODD: Were you also briefed on – there was apparently two or three incidents in the previous administration as well.

REP. MIKE TURNER: Well, that’s what they’re saying now. But I think that the administration needs to come forward, because this is not an ability to say that this is a crisis that was handed to them. This is a crisis that has developed as a result of this president during his administration allowing China to do a similar act before, not responding and then clearly in this one, not seeing the urgency of what was unfolding. I mean, the president allowed this to go across our most sensitive sites, and wasn’t even going to tell the American public. If you hadn’t broken this story, the American public would not have even known. There was no attempt to notify Congress, no attempt to put together the Gang of Eight. I think this administration lacks urgency.

CHUCK TODD: Do you – the Pentagon says that they were able to use some countermeasures that blocked or limited the ability of China to extract information from this balloon. Do you buy that?

REP. MIKE TURNER: No. And certainly you don’t either. Here’s the thing that’s interesting. The administration says there was nothing for them to gain here. This was quite a risk by China, quite a calculation that they would take a balloon, put it up in China, take it across the United States where it’s clearly going to be discoverable by us. They clearly had some information that they were trying to garner, that they can’t garner from space, so they did not have otherwise.

CHUCK TODD: What could that be? Have you – I mean what – you’re pretty familiar with this. What is it that they think they could have gotten from a balloon? Or what can be done with a balloon that can’t be done with a satellite?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Well, the key obviously is not just the balloon. The key is the payload that was attached to it, which you’ve reported is, you know, the size of three buses. That’s obviously huge. And it was being commanded and controlled by mainland China, and delivering data and information back to mainland China. Again, if you look at the path, and you put X’s where all of our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapons facilities are, I believe that they were trying to gain information on how to defeat the command and control of our nuclear weapon systems and our missile defense systems. That’s a crisis. That certainly should’ve had an urgency to the president, and not just wait until this gets to the Atlantic to take it down.

CHUCK TODD: Do you at all accept – I mean, it sounds like he did put the order in on Wednesday to shoot it down, and then it’s the military that said, “Hey, it’s not safe yet.” Do you accept that?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Yeah, no. There’s no excuses here. When this first occurred last time during this administration — remember, this is the third year of this administration — they should have been preparing for this. They knew what this was. They know what the balloon is, what its capabilities, maneuverability is, from having observed previous actions by China. They should have been prepared. They seemed not only to be unprepared, but to even be waiting. You know, where is the balloon going to go? What are they trying to do? That’s not how you look at the actions of an adversary. China is a self-declared adversary. They are clearly expanding their military capabilities. They are tripling their nuclear weapons capabilities. They’re fielding hypersonic weapons, they’re expanding in space. In this instance, this president should’ve taken this as an urgency, and so should’ve our military. This should have been taken down before it entered the U.S. airspace, when it was over Alaska.

CHUCK TODD: This, there’s some sort of surveillance technology with this balloon. There’s been some speculation that it might have the capability of launching its own drone – sort of miniature drones to do extra surveillance. Do you know anything about that, or has there been any reports to confirm any of that?

REP. MIKE TURNER: No. I have not been briefed on that. But I can tell you — and we’re supposed to be briefed this week as to what we know. But I think what we can believe is that this administration says, “We don’t really know.” And if we don’t really know, how they keep telling the American public this is not a threat, that there was no need to act is just extraordinary to me. This administration does not understand the urgency of taking action to protect our national security –

CHUCK TODD: What do you believe the actual threat is right now? What is it that they’re trying to do? I mean, you see this as just a simple military exercise by the Chinese.

REP. MIKE TURNER: Absolutely. I mean, they didn’t go and look at the Grand Canyon; they went and looked at our nuclear weapon sites and the missile defense sites throughout the country. And whatever was in this humongous payload — I mean, there wasn’t a camera on this thing. I mean, I’m certain there were cameras, but at the same time, this was huge. The expanse that was there, and what they were trying to accomplish obviously was important enough to China to take the risk of something that was overt. This was not covert, this wasn’t secret. They did it in such a grand scale. They knew that the United States would know, and they did it anyway.

CHUCK TODD: So was it the right call for Secretary Blinken to postpone his trip?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Sure. But if you noticed – and I have a great deal of regard for Secretary Blinken – but if you notice, he didn’t cancel it until it was already public, and there was public scrutiny of the fact that he was going.

CHUCK TODD: Well, there’s some that argue that it shouldn’t have been canceled, that this should be immediately they – we should be immediately confronting them. What do you make of that idea?

REP. MIKE TURNER: What should’ve happened is the first time this happened during this administration, there should have been outrage. They should have addressed this with China. They should have prepared for when this balloon was coming. They should have understood that there was a great deal of risk at our national security. And they should have been prepared the moment this balloon was launched, because they knew what this was like, they knew what it was capable of, and they should have responded.

CHUCK TODD: So what now should be the American response here? What would you like to see going forward in our, in response to this incursion?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Well I – first off, the president needs to shift and understand that he has urgent national security matters. You can’t just act like nothing matters if it matters to our adversaries. If our adversaries think this is important, we need to thwart it and we need to respond. With respect to this balloon, obviously, you know, the administration’s indicated they’re going to try to collect whatever is left of having this strewn across the ocean to see what we can learn there. We’re going to find what signals intelligence that the administration might have been able to capture, and from that, understand what this was doing. But they need to make clear to all our adversaries, “You’re not going to get to come to the United States and take a tour of our most sensitive military sites and have a free shot.”

CHUCK TODD: How aggressive should we be about these balloons that are in the Western Hemisphere, not over our airspace, but we know there’s reports that there’s one of these balloons in Latin America right now?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Right. Well, I think all of these – if the administration had, when they became aware that China was deploying this capability, if they had been aggressive to determine how to capture them, how to exploit the technology, how to thwart the technology, we would be in a different place today. And I think, you know, the same is true for the other balloons that you’re seeing.

CHUCK TODD: All right, I’m going to – we’re running out of time – but before I let you go, you and others in the Gang of Eight have asked for a briefing on all of the classified documents that have been discovered from President Trump, President Biden, and Vice President Pence. Where are we on that?

REP. MIKE TURNER: You know, what’s striking about this, Chuck, is that the Biden administration told the American public that they raided Donald Trump’s home because it was a national security risk. But what we found in the intelligence community and in the intelligence committee is that the Biden administration had not engaged at all anyone who was in national security on the issue of threats from these documents. It took Congress to step in and say, “We want a security threat.” And then they tried to deny giving the briefing to us from that threat. What’s interesting is that the moment this balloon became public, I got a notice not from the administration that I’m going to get a briefing on this balloon, but they have to rush to Congress now to talk to us about Donald Trump’s documents. You can see they want to change the news.

CHUCK TODD: So you’re going to get a briefing on Trump’s documents, but –

REP. MIKE TURNER: There’s nothing scheduled on the balloon, but they’re scheduling Donald Trump.

CHUCK TODD: Anything on Biden or Pence?

REP. MIKE TURNER: It’s included, yes.

CHUCK TODD: That will all be included. When is that, this week?

REP. MIKE TURNER: Yes, it’s supposed to be this week. We’ll see whether or not the balloon happens first. It certainly should. Again, urgency. This administration needs to understand we do have national security urgent matters.

CHUCK TODD: Mike Turner, Chair of the House Intel Committee, Republican from Ohio.

REP. MIKE TURNER:Thank you.

CHUCK TODD: Thanks for coming in, sharing your perspective with us —

REP. MIKE TURNER: Thank you.