National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Monday that the drones recently reported over New Jersey and other East Coast states did not pose a threat to the public and “represent lawful, legal, commercial (and) hobbyist drones.” even law enforcement drones.”

Upon request from AC360 Host John Berman asked Kirby whether the drones could pose a danger.

“The answer to that is no. We do not believe that these drones and these flying aircraft pose a risk to national or public safety,” he said.

“And I want to remind people that there are millions of drones routinely flying across the skies of the United States – thousands upon thousands registered with the FAA. And many of them do really good work for public safety and the common good, like law enforcement drones or commercial drones. To date, there is no sense or indication that these activities pose a risk to national or public security.”

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also suggested in an ABC interview that the increase in drone sightings may be due to the Federal Aviation Administration allowing drones to fly at night last year.

Kirby continued, “After days of forensic analysis, detection work, and review of tips received, we have concluded that these drones are legitimate, legal, hobbyist commercial drones – even law enforcement drones.”

Berman followed a few moments later. “You wouldn’t go so far as to say you have it all figured out. What haven’t you figured out yet?”

“Well, we probably still have, I don’t know, about 100 leads that we’re still trying to triangulate out of the 5,000 or so leads and sightings that the FBI has investigated,” he said. “They’ve really narrowed the number down to about 100 that they still need to review, which we haven’t been able to rule out… and as more tips come in, I think that number could go up.” So we’ll just see where we stand. “

Kirby concluded: “I can’t rule out the fact that we might see some kind of illegal or criminal activity, some nefarious activity. All I can tell you is that we don’t see any of that at the moment.”

Kirby’s appearance preceded a joint statement from the DHS, FBI, FAA and Department of Defense that said: “After carefully reviewing the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we conclude that the sightings to date are a combination from legal commercial drones, hobby drones, etc., law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars that have been falsely reported as drones.”

The statement reiterated comments from Kirby that the organizations “have not identified anything unusual and do not assess past activity as a risk to national or public safety over civil airspace in New Jersey or other Northeastern states.”

However, officials acknowledged the public’s concerns given the high number of sightings. “We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support law enforcement,” the response said. “We urge Congress, when it reconvenes, to enact counter-drone legislation that would expand and expand existing counter-drone authority to detect and mitigate any potential threats.”