Who?
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) — Co-chair, Congressional UAP Caucus*
*For the sake of speed, this is a partial post that’s free for everyone. After being forced to take last week off for a mini-health emergency, Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s had a disjointed week (why catch your Thursday flight to Cali when you can miss it and spend your first vacay day transcribing UFO copy in a swampy summer swamp? Que sera sera). We appreciate your understanding.
LISTEN: Laslo & Burchett
Key Burchett:
“Oh, I set her up. I asked about UFO within the Department of Energy. And they said, ‘Aliens don’t exist or spaceships,’ and after that: BOOM! Then everybody just lit her up,” Rep. Tim Burchett exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Because they have a procedure in place and there were certain — and she said they've never had an incident of a nuclear facility, and there's literally documented incidents. I mean, that's weird.”
Burchett: Sec. Granholm was “condescending”
“I think she was condescending. She kinda smirked, and I didn’t like that,” Burchett says. “I don’t like that. People believe in UFOs — and over half the American population does. It's like 55 to 60% believe that we're not alone.”
Congressional UAP Caucus getting savvy?
“And everybody’s like, ‘Burchett, man, why didn’t you?’ and I say, ‘No, all I want to do is get her on record,’ and then watch them, watch [Rep. Anna Paulina] Luna. We had it all planned out. That’s the worst. And Luna just said, ‘You said it to Representative Burchett that — whatever, it just doesn't happen. What about these cases?’,” Burchett told us.
Caught our ear:
“Area 52…”
Below find a rough and partial transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), slightly edited for clarity.
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PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Tim Burchett
SCENE: After the last vote in the House before lawmakers kicked off their weeklong Memorial Day recess — an extended vacation the nation’s policy makers do not extend to the nation’s veterans, mind you… — Burchett and an NPR congressional correspondent are having a casual, friendly conversation while walking from the Capitol to the House Office Buildings across the street.
Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo, giving them space to have a private conversation, is walking 10 or so paces ahead. As he wipes the sweat from his dripping brow, he can make out some of their conversation about Burchett’s latest wood project. Once Burchett cracks a joke about NPR, Laslo — who also runs The LCB, an all-service regionally-focused, national wire service that began as a service focused on saving local NPR member stations some 18 years ago — slides right into their convo.
*Student? Lost your gig? Hard times? Been there. Got you. No questions asked. Just ping us.
Once Ask a Pol is there, Burchett quickly switches from skateboards to UAPs…
Tim Burchett: “Did you catch my Department of Energy question…”
Matt Laslo: “Yeah.”
TB: “…today?”
ML: “Oh, I missed it today?”
TB: “Oh, I set her up. I asked about UFO with the Department of Energy.”
NPR correspondent: “You did?”
TB: “And they said, ‘Aliens don’t exist or spaceships,’ and after that: BOOM! And then everybody just lit her up, because they have a procedure in place and they were certain. And she said they've never had an incident of a nuclear facility, and there's literally documented incidents. I mean, that's weird.”
ML: “What do make of her reaction?”
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TB: “I think she was condescending. She kinda smirked, and I didn’t like that. I don’t like that. People believe in UFOs — and over half the American population does. It's like 55 to 60% believe that we're not alone.”
ML: “Well, it is curious because people do think that the silos might not be in the Pentagon, but might be DOE.”
ICYMI — Sen. Rounds on hunt for siloed SAPs
TB: “Yeah.”
ML: “Do you think that’s increasingly the case? Or still fishing?”
TB: “Well, DOE provides security at Area 51.”
ML: “Really?”
TB: “Or, Area 52, I believe. The one that’s right beside it. So yeah, they've got some kind of security force. So it’s a — there's something going on.”
NPR: “That’s fascinating. I have to go back and watch…”
ML: “I know, me too.”
TB: “And I look, and everybody’s like, ‘Burchett, man, why didn’t you?’ and I say, ‘No, all I wanted to do is get her on record.’”
NPR: “Nice.”
TB: “And then watch them, watch [Rep. Anna Paulina] Luna. We had it all planned out, and that’s what worked.”
ML: “Oh yeah?”
TB: “And Luna just said, ‘You said to Rep. Burchett that — whatever — that this didn’t happen. What about these documented, these cases?’ And she’s like…”
Burchett, ever so briefly, plays a deer in headlights.
ML: “Y’all are getting more savvy. Does this change the direction or is this part of the direction of the next hearing you want?”
TB: “No, it just lets people know that are concerned about this issue that we are following up, that we're not just chasing as far as we can. And I've got the bill introduced about declassifying all UFO stuff, which if they don't exist, then why won't they let me, why won't they declassify my stuff?”
ML: “Sounds like you’re starting a more full court press.”
TB: “Yeah…”
Burchett and the NPR correspondent then enter the Longworth House Office Building, while Ask a Pol heads back to the Capitol steps to chase down more lawmakers before they Jetset outta Washington for the week.
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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"I set her up," Rep. Burchett gushes after UAP Caucus tag teams Energy Sec. Granholm on UFOs