White House briefed Missouri Gov. Parson, others on Chinese balloon after he complained

The White House briefed Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and other governors late Friday afternoon about the suspected Chinese spy balloon, after the Republican governor publicly complained that his office had received “zero communication” from the Biden administration.

Parson and his office didn’t disclose the briefing until Monday. Kelli Jones, a spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed it had taken place after The Star first asked about it over the weekend, when a National Security Council official told McClatchy that the White House had briefed governors, including Parson.

“Yes, late Friday afternoon a briefing was given,” Jones wrote in an email Monday.

The balloon attracted significant attention Friday as it floated across northeast Kansas, skirted the Kansas City metro area and then cut a path across central Missouri. Over several hours, Republican officials in both states called on Democratic President Joe Biden to order the balloon shot down and criticized the White House for allowing it to remain in the air.

A Missouri state senator went as far as urging Parson to unilaterally order the Missouri Air National Guard to shoot it down.

“We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?” Parson said on Twitter at 1:55 p.m. Friday.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly also expressed concern, calling the balloon’s presence an alarming “provocation.” On Twitter at 3:52 p.m. Friday, the Democratic governor wrote that her office had reached out to the White House.

A spokeswoman for Kelly didn’t respond to requests for comment on Saturday and Monday about whether the governor had received a White House briefing.

An Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon on Saturday as it floated past the South Carolina coast. Biden said he had ordered the balloon shot down as soon as possible on Wednesday, but acquiesced to advice from military officials to wait until it was over water.

China has maintained the balloon was weather-related, but U.S. officials say it was conducting surveillance.

McClatchyDC’s Michael Wilner contributed reporting