Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., hit back after senior officials dismissed claims he had gathered from “very qualified” and “reliable” sources involving mysterious drones flying over New Jersey airspace an Iranian “mother ship” parked off the US coast.

“They were incredibly stupid and incredibly weak about it,” Van Drew said Thursday on “America’s Newsroom.”

“We know that these are not backyard drones that some hobbyist uses because they are much more sophisticated. We know it’s not a commercial venture in the United States because we don’t even have that level of sophistication.” “We’re a full decade behind China when it comes to drones. They say it’s not them, so who is it?”

The Pentagon disputes lawmakers’ claim that the New Jersey drones came from Iran

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., participates in the Judiciary Committee’s summary Thursday, May 16, 2024, of the “Report recommending that the House of Representatives cite Attorney General Merrick Garland for contempt of Congress.” House of Representatives. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He continued: “I have credible people with high security ratings and they came to me and again, these are reliable, credible people with a security clearance who felt like they wanted to clear the air. They were essentially whistleblowers, and they believe that there is a real possibility that it could be Iran, that a ship is not right off the coast of New Jersey. These drones go in and out of the ocean, as stated by the Coast Guard. They don’t land on the water. We are not told the truth. They deal with the American public.

For about a month, mysterious drones have populated the airspace over the Garden State, flying over residential areas with flashing lights and no clear motive, prompting officials and citizens to demand answers about their origins.

Van Drew, who sits on the transportation committee and aviation subcommittee, initially claimed Wednesday that confidential but “responsible” sources had told him the mysterious plane came from an Iranian mother ship, although that claim has not been confirmed. He also called for the drones to be “shot down.”

A DRONE SIGHTING IS REPORTED OVER NEW JERSEY’S LARGEST RESERVOIR AS THE FED INVESTIGATES THE TOURING PHENOMENON

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin asked Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh about Van Drew’s allegations during a briefing on Wednesday, where she denied the claim.

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there is no so-called ‘mother ship’ launching drones toward the United States,” she said.

Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also dismissed the lawsuit, saying, among other things, that the Department of Defense had “no evidence to support it.”

“The FBI said there was no evidence. “I’m not sure what he (Van Drew) has been watching lately, but he might want to watch the news…” he continued, adding that the situation is his “top priority.”

Murphy wrote to X last Thursday that “there is currently no known threat to the public.” State officials said they are taking the mysterious drone sightings “seriously.”

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“These drones could very well be launched from a ship. They could be hundreds of miles out at sea,” Van Drew said in response to such dismissals.

“These types of drones fly much greater distances. This is something we don’t typically see in the United States, so it’s a real possibility. Could it be China? In any case. Could it be someone else? It definitely could. Here’s the deal: You don’t know what it’s about. You have no idea where it comes from mean, this is nonsense. They don’t know what they’re doing. Why don’t they take one of them down, analyze it, and tell us what’s really happening?

“I hope they know more than they are telling us, but this is disrespectful to the public and Congress. It’s time for them to face the truth.”