CNN anchor Chris Wallace did one thing of a double-take when Division of Hometown Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sidestepped as Wallace requested if flying objects being shot down might be “extraterrestrial.”

The China spy balloon news cycle gave way closing weekend to a new spate of flying objects that were shot down, and the flurry of sightings gave approach to hypothesis about space aliens.

On this week’s adaptation of HBO Max and CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the host requested Mayorkas a a couple of-phase question that incorporated the “extraterrestrial” speculation, and zeroed in when Mayorkas singled it out to “put aside”:

CHRIS WALLACE: Smartly, we’re gonna begin in a somewhat different house than I expected to. We’ll get to the border in a few minutes. But let’s begin with balloons and all of those objects that the US has been capturing down over North America the closing couple of weeks. Do you regard them as a threat to Place of origin Safety?

SEC. MAYORKAS: Smartly, Chris, let’s separate it. The primary one, of course, was despatched by using China to surveil the United States and invaded our sovereignty and naturally, the Division of Safety took action upon the President’s instructions. The next three, we have been uncertain exactly what they had been. We examine that they did not pose a physical threat to the homeland. Alternatively, they did pose a potential possibility to civil aviation, and we’re going to give protection to the American folks. And so once again, the Department of Safety took motion upon the President’s course.

CHRIS WALLACE: Home Republicans have despatched you a series of questions for DHS’ Place of business of intelligence and analysis. How so much have you learnt? Are these, the opposite three, now not the Chinese balloon, but the other three. Do we now have any thought whether they have been despatched through foreigners actors, foreign international locations? Whether or not it’s simply one of the visitors that’s at all times above the U. S. or it’s even been recommended they’re extraterrestrial.

SEC. MAYORKAS: Smartly, let’s put aside that ultimate one. With the evaluation–

CHRIS WALLACE: Just for the sake of argument, why?

SEC. MAYORKAS: Smartly, uh, as a result of I don’t think our Workplace of iItelligence and Prognosis is going so as to make that resolution. However I think what the review goes to be according to is what we are in a position to get better and analyze however there is a lot of traffic, if you will, in the skies. And what the President has completed now is tasked the Nationwide Security Council to bring together the interagency to in reality take note what we know about what’s happening in the air, to have in mind all of our capabilities, and in point of fact to develop protocols to each reply to and prevent some of these incidents from happening.

CHRIS WALLACE: And DHS used to be a part of that.

SEC. MAYORKAS: We positive are.

CHRIS WALLACE: I mean I requested this query figuring out that it usually is slightly bit silly. Do you have got a intestine feeling? Do you in different phrases, do you are inclined to think that these are international actors that have despatched these autos or it’s just that because we’ve opened the filter, as they say, and we’re having a look more for objects which can be over the place of origin, we’re discovering that there’s always a number of traffic over the place of birth?

SEC. MAYORKAS: So I don’t have a particular gut response to this. We’re going to review our prognosis and make a very skilled and informed resolution. However there are two things number one, there may be numerous traffic there. And quantity two, our capabilities are increasing to determine it. And I feel that’s a very important factor to remember.

Watch above by means of HBO Max and CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.

The put up CNN’s Chris Wallace Taken Aback When Biden DHS Chief Sidesteps ‘Extraterrestrial’ Question: ‘For the Sake of Argument Why?’ first regarded on Mediaite.