WASHINGTON – Key lawmakers in the House and Senate are demanding senior federal law enforcement officials immediately inform them of mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and New York as the White House downplayed possible threats to national security or the public.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Thursday he expected to receive a classified briefing on the drones soon, saying it was “a dilemma” and he was “eager to find out more.”

On Thursday afternoon, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Homeland Security, the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies “could not confirm any of the reported visual sightings” of the drones.

In reviewing images of the sightings, law enforcement officials concluded “that these were in fact manned aircraft operating lawfully” and that there had been no confirmed drone sightings in restricted airspace, Kirby said, adding that there were no discovered malicious activities.

“We have no evidence at this time that these reported sightings pose a threat to national or public safety or have any foreign connection,” a White House National Security Council official told NBC News when asked about the drones .

But lawmakers say they — and the public — need more information after weeks of sightings in New Jersey and other states.

New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim and New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, all Democrats, sent a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Chris Wray and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Whitaker, and called for briefing on drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

“The potential security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas are particularly relevant given recent drone incursions into sensitive military sites within and outside the continental United States over the past year.” Protecting civilian infrastructure, security and privacy, and military assets and military personnel requires a comprehensive response from Congress and the Executive Branch,” the four senators wrote.

“For this reason, we ask that the briefing you provide also include any authorities, tools or personnel your agencies may need to address these ongoing incidents and the broader UAS safety challenge,” they continued.

Senate staff were expected to receive a briefing later Thursday, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and other senators have also requested individual briefings.

In the House, former Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., now the panel’s ranking member, said he would attend a classified session Thursday on a range of topics and expected the drone issue to come up.

“When do we consider this a physical threat or even a security threat worth eliminating?” Smith asked. “And for that we need clear answers.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a member of the Intelligence Committee, told NBC News he received information about the drones last week and this week. He called on law enforcement to release more information to the public.

“Based on the information I received from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the governor, I do not believe there are any immediate threats to public safety,” Gottheimer said in a telephone interview, referring to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat. “But the public deserves to know more, and it is up to the FBI and Homeland Security to inform the public immediately.

“This can’t be the Wild West of drone activity,” he said.

According to attendees, Murphy and other New Jersey state officials, as well as a representative from the Department of Homeland Security, held a briefing on the drones for local officials on Wednesday.

For weeks, residents have been observing and filming drones that authorities describe as commercial devices and not typical “hobby drones.” Eyewitness accounts and officials confirm the drones are up to 6 feet in diameter.

Many of these videos went viral, reaching tens of thousands of views on social media and sparking concern among citizens. But public concern grew on Wednesday after Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, appeared on Fox News and said the drones came from an Iranian “mother ship” off the “east coast of the United States of America.” would come. ”

He called for the drones to be “shot down.”

However, Van Drew’s comments were firmly rejected by the Pentagon.

“There is no Iranian vessel off the coast of the United States, and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones toward the United States,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, adding that these were not military drones There is no evidence of this coming from a foreign enemy or organization.

Still, voters are concerned about the drones and are looking to their elected officials for answers.

“Listen, no one wants unknown drones flying over their homes, their cities and our military installations,” said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a member of the Intelligence Committee.

“You know, people have a right to be concerned about this and I share that concern, so we’ll deal with it,” he said. “We’ll try to get answers and then we’ll move on from there.”

There are currently no plans to brief all House members on the drones, although some individual members have been briefed.

Another Intelligence Committee member, Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., said the reluctance to hold public hearings on the drone issue is because “we don’t want our adversaries watching our open hearings and looking for contextual clues.”