Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) joins Ask a Pol’s growing list of federal lawmakers who refuse to even comment on UFO whistleblower David Grusch, even as they’re aware of — and potentially a part of — the investigation into his claims.
“I'm on the Intelligence Committee. I'm aware of the matter. I don't have a comment for you at this time,” Ossoff told us some two weeks before Grusch testified in the House.
NEW EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jon Ossoff on David Grusch
Why’s Ossoff mum even as Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner and Vice-Chair Marco Rubio have openly discussed non-classified portions of their investigation with us?
We get a window into the Intelligence Committee in our briefest of brief one-on-one with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), the 16th of our 21 exclusives with each member of the secretive committee.
Moran is quick to tell us he hasn’t looked into Grusch.
“I have not,” Moran says. “Nope.”
NEW EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jerry Moran on David Grusch
“And it hasn’t really come up in Intel?”
“Well, that I couldn’t tell you,” Moran replies.
While the senator’s eyes made it seem as if he was joking, others have used the secretive nature of the committee and their classified work as a shield, of sorts.
Besides Ossoff, earlier this week we heard a similar non-refrain from Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and last month the chair of the House select China committee, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), told Ask a Pol “I'm not allowed to comment.”
That’s Republicans and Democrats. Senate and House. But it’s still only a select few of the select few lawmakers with top secret security clearances who have rendered themselves all but mute (and thus moot).
One thing we notice all these zip-lipped lawmakers have in common is they’re young, by congressional standards. So maybe they’re all just extremely cautious. Afterall, leaking classified info is a serious crime.
But their colleagues are openly discussing Grusch with the press corps. Hell, Grusch himself just testified publicly in front of the House Oversight Committee!
Grusch had to delicately navigate through the minefield of classified info he knows. That’s what lawmakers of all stripes regularly do, like when many leave a classified briefing on, say, UFOs and then run straight to the congressional press corps’ cameras.
That leaves us a tad suspicious of this new no-comment caucus.
Sure, maybe they’re all just young, rookie lawmakers afraid to slip up on the national stage.
But that theory’s hard to square with Ossoff’s resume alone. I mean, in his 2021 runoff, the rookie legislator helped break hella fundraising records as he raised and spent some $150 million to win (or buy?) the Senate seat he occupies.
We’re curious if a campaign consultant’s got his tongue, even as he and the others are finding comfort in the cloak of secrecy the Intelligence Committee wraps any of its members in whenever they duck behind the veil.
Matt Laslo is a veteran congressional correspondent and founder of Ask a Pol — asking your lawmakers, your questions at your US Capitol. Find him on most social media @MattLaslo.
We’re @Ask_a_Pol or @askpols on Insta.
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EXCLUSIVE(S) — Why won't Sen. Jon Ossoff & others comment on UFO whistleblower David Grusch?