(NewsNation) — After multiple federal agencies issued a joint statement regarding the origin of mysterious drone sightings, some residents are feeling gaslighted by government officials who say many of the drones were misidentified.
Nick Pope, a retired UFO investigator with the UK Ministry of Defence, told NewsNation he does not buy the explanation that the drones are the property of drone hobbyists, amateur operators and law enforcement. The joint statement issued on Monday also said some of the sightings were stars those residents misidentified.
“There’s a lot of anger about this statement,” Pope said, adding, “There’s a lot of distrust of the government and a lot of skepticism about their attempts to kind of downplay this.”
Pope said he believes President-elect Donald Trump’s assessment that the White House and federal agencies know the origin of the drones. Pope said it is clear Trump is receiving intelligence briefings and is dropping hints to urge residents not to believe what federal agencies are saying.
Pope said that the anti-drone technology being requested by state officials in New York and New Jersey could provide further evidence of where the drones are coming from. But as lawmakers receive classified information from federal agencies about drone sightings in a briefing Tuesday, Pope is not sure what will be divulged publicly.
“As always, it’s going to be a tricky balancing act,” Pope told NewsNation. “People are probably going to hear more that the media and public will be told, and lawmakers just have to do that usual trick of finding a way to drop a few hints but without crossing the line and disclosing anything classified.”