Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was instrumental in helping create the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office — or AARO — but, now that Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick stepped down, the senator doesn’t know who’s currently running the office.
“I’ve asked them who it is, and they didn’t know,” Gillibrand told Ask a Pol of AARO staffers.
“Really?” we asked.
“Yeah,” Gillibrand replied.
“Because they named someone initially.”
“The staff didn't know who it was,” Gillibrand said.
ON AARO’s SITE at publication time:
When Ask a Pol inquired about her desire to meet with UFO whistleblower David Grusch, Gillibrand told us the ball is in his lawyer’s court.
“It’s Grusch’s lawyer who seems to be making the decision, so I would talk to his lawyer,” Gillibrand said.
LISTEN: Laslo & Gillibrand
Matt Laslo’s a veteran congressional correspondent, new media prof. & founder of Ask a Pol — a new, people-powered press corps.
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Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand: “Hello. How are you?”
Matt Laslo: “Still standing. Did you meet with the interim head of AARO yesterday [CORRECTION: Tuesday]?”
KG: “No. Who is it? Do you know who it is?”
ML: “No. They named somebody. You had something classified in your thing [ie, public schedule] yesterday.”
KG: “Oh, no.”
ML: “That was separate?”
KG: “Yeah. It was separate, but I’ve asked them who it is and they didn’t know.”
ML: “Really?”
KG: “Yeah.”
ML: “Because they named someone initially.”
KG: “The staff didn't know who it was.”
ML: “So what do you make of that?”
KG: “Slow.”
ML: “Yeah?”
KG: “They’re just slow.”
ML: “Case of the bureaucracy?”
KG: “Ahuh.”
ML: “That’s pretty wild.”
Gillibrand addresses a still photographer taking pictures of her from just a few feet away as she chats with Ask a Pol just a few strides away from the Senate floor.
KG: “It's creepy.”
Gillibrand laughs and addresses photographer.
KG: “Are you with him?”
Gillibrand points to Laslo.
Photographer: “What’s that?”
KG: “Are you with him?”
Photographer: “I’m not. We’re not…”
He tells Ask a Pol later: “She’ll love those photos when she sees em.”
ML: “Is that frustrating though?”
KG: “It is, because I want to meet the new person. I want the new person to be named. And if there's an interim person, fine, but we should really have someone in line.”
ML: “There's no Senate confirmation for that is there?”
KG: “No. It's a DOD [Department of Defense] choice — DOD-Intel.”
ML: “Interesting. Are you still in talks with [David] Grusch?”
KG: “It’s Grusch’s lawyer who seems to be making the decision, so I would talk to his lawyer. So I think maybe with the next person [at AARO] they might meet. I don't know. He wouldn't meet with Kirkpatrick unfortunately.”
ML: “Because the House, they just had their second SCIF briefing on him specifically.”
KG: “On Grusch?”
ML: “Yeah.”
KG: “Oh interesting.”
Premature End of Transcript: Sorry, have to run to an appointment!
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Gillibrand on AARO's interim director: "The staff didn't know who it was"