Does Congress need a select committee on UAPs?
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Lt. Ryan Graves weigh in on new questions raised from the House Oversight Committee's UFO hearing on 'Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.'
Lawmakers have demanded details from the intelligence community about alleged secret programs that retrieve crashed UFOs and reverse-engineer the technology.
UFO whistleblower David Grusch alluded to both programs in statements under oath during the July 26 House Oversight Committee hearing that highlighted decades of alleged government secrecy around UFOs, now referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
But he said he could not divulge any more details in a public hearing because of an open whistleblower reprisal case against him.
Six members of Congress signed the Aug. 21 letter to Inspector General Thomas Monheim: Reps. Tim Burchett, (R-Tenn.), Jared Moskowitz, (D-Florida), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn).
From left, Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrive for the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs hearing titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency," in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"During the UAP hearing, David Grusch testified he could not provide specific details about UAP crash retrieval programs or reverse engineering programs, but said the Intelligence Community Inspector General could," Rep. Burchett said on Twitter.
"So my colleagues and I wrote to him to ask for details."
UFO WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIFIES HIS LIFE WAS THREATENED OVER SECRET ALIEN TECH RETRIEVAL
Grusch testified during the hearing that he knows colleagues who were injured while reverse-engineering UFO tech, and said the government "absolutely" has had UFO tech and "biologics" of "non-human origins" since the 1930s and knows the exact locations where they're being held.
He said during the hearing that he can provide specifics in a classified setting.
Six members of Congress signed the August 21 letter to Inspector General Thomas Monheim about details of an alleged crashed UFO-retrieval program and reverse-engineering program. (Rep. Tim Burchett/Twitter)
Six members of Congress signed the August 21 letter to Inspector General Thomas Monheim about details of an alleged crashed UFO retrieval program and reverse engineering program. (Rep. Tim Burchett/Twitter)
"I can't get into the specifics in an open forum but . . . what I personally witnessed myself and my wife was very disturbing," said Grusch, a former U.S. intelligence officer and Air Force veteran. "I've faced brutal, unfortunate tactics" of retribution that he called "administrative terrorism."
In the aftermath of the congressional hearing, Grusch's medical records were leaked in what some described as an attempt to discredit his testimony.
Medical records detailing his struggles with mental health, including PTSD, grief and depression after his return from Afghanistan, specifically mentioned incidents in 2014 and 2018 when he was transferred to a psychiatric unit and inpatient program.
Ross Coulthart, a reporter who originally broke Grusch's claims about a secret UFO-retrieval program, posted Grusch's full statement on Twitter on Aug. 8.
This riled up lawmakers like Burchett, who said in a response to the above tweet on August 8, "Trying to discredit a decorated veteran like David Grusch shows the desperation of the group trying to hide the truth. They will fail."
He followed with a scathing tweet the next day: "Tell me who illegally leaked Grusch’s health records and I will bust their a**."
Grusch was one of three key figures who testified during the July 26 hearing, which also included firsthand accounts from decorated military pilots Ryan Graves and David Fravor, who have witnessed – and, in Fravor's case, engaged – UAPs while in the air.
Fravor, a retired squad leader of the Black Aces who served 18 years as a Navy pilot, spotted what has become known as the "Tic Tac UFO" during a 2004 training mission.
A new office dedicated to studying UAP (UFO) sightings has finally secured full-funding in the upcoming 2024 defense budget. (Department of Defense)
The object was "far superior to anything we had at the time, have today or are looking to develop in the next 10-plus years," Fravor said in his opening statement.
During the same July 26 hearing, three other key figures in the fight to release UFO-related records sat behind the speakers: investigative reporters George Knapp and Jeremy Corbell, as well as Charles McCullough.
Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, ex-Navy commander David Fravor and former U.S. intelligence officer David Grusch testify before the House of Representatives subcommittee focused on UFOs while (left to right) George Knapp (red tie, left of Grusch), Charles McCullough (light blue tie) and Jeremy Corbell sit behind them (House subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs). (House subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs)
McCullough was President Barack Obama's former intelligence community inspector general who represented Grusch in his complaint.
The congressional record of the hearing also included letters written by Knapp and Corbell, which Fox News Digital published in their entirety in this report.
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After listening to the witnesses' testimony for more than two hours during the July 26 hearing, Rep. Ogles said there's "clearly a threat to the national security of the United States."
The House's hearing followed the Senate's bipartisan legislation to declassify and release UFO-related records that brought political foes like Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., together.
