Who?
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Oversight Committee; Congressional UAP Caucus
LISTEN: Laslo & Burlison
Ask a Pol asks:
What happened with your plan to hire UFO whistleblower David Grusch?
Key Burlison:
“What we determined is that he really wouldn’t have as much authority as a staffer, an individual staffer, for me per se, like, if I hired him directly. The other important thing is it would be difficult to hire him to take up one role / position in a congressional office with very few for that specific purpose. So I was trying to get him to be a shared role, but even then we’ve determined that he would be limited as to what he can do,” Rep. Eric Burlison exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “We need a better committee, a committee that has dedicated staff. Otherwise we’re gonna continue to just fumble around in the dark.”
ICYMI — Burlison post-AARO briefing this spring
Caught our ear per last classified AARO briefing:
“The more I reflect on it, the more I realize that the key takeaway is that they didn’t have answers and they didn’t have data for two of the biggest UAP events in recent history,” Burlison says. “What they did was they showed us a lot of known UAP events and they debunked them. And I felt like they adequately, in my mind, I felt like they adequately did that.”
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AARO caught Burlison’s ear:
“I found it interesting that they say that there’s nothing top secret about extraterrestrial UFOs. The only thing that is top secret is any of our technology that might have been involved,” Burlison tells us. “So if we had devices that recorded it or, you know, captured the footage or there was radar or whatever, all of that is top secret…they were pretty adamant about that and that their attitude is, ‘Look, if we find something we’re gonna make it public, but so long as it doesn’t compromise our technology.’”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), slightly edited for clarity.
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TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Eric Burlison
SCENE: After casting his last vote of the week on the House floor, Burlison’s walking back to his office from the US Capitol (all the metallic bangs in the background are security barriers lifting up and down as members of the House rush to the airport).
Matt Laslo: “How you doing?”
Eric Burlison: “Hey.”
ML: “Been too long.”
EB: “It has. You caught both of us — me and [Rep. Tim] Burchett.”
We interviewed Burchett on the way in, and after we start talking to Burlison he disappeared.
ICYMI — “Get ready”
ML: “Do you — whatever happened to potentially hiring [David] Grusch?”
EB: “Well, I could only do it under a subcommittee — under a committee.”
ML: “Oh yeah?”
EB: “And we — at the end of the day we can’t get [House Speaker Mike] Johnson to give us a committee.”
ML: “Yeah? Do you think some of that might change post-election or…?”
EB: “Cause what we determined is that he really wouldn’t have as much authority as a staffer, an individual staffer, for me per se, like, if I hired him directly. The other important thing is it would be difficult to hire him to take up one role / position in a congressional office with very few for that specific purpose. So I was trying to get him to be a shared role, but even then we’ve determined that he would be limited as to what he can do.”
ML: “Where do you see that going — the investigation? Cause Gillibrand says she might have a Senate hearing end of July or September.”
EB: “I would, I hope that we get — I think we need to go, we need a better committee, a committee that has dedicated staff. Otherwise we’re gonna continue to just fumble around in the dark.”
ML: “Yeah? What do you think — have you met. Last we spoke, you seemed to be showing confidence in AARO [All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office]. Do you still have that same level of confidence or…?”
EB: “I, look, I don’t…”
Laslo maneuvers Burlison into the shade on an oppressively humid day in the swamp.
ML: “We can go in the shade. It’s too hot for this shit.”
EB: “I don’t know that I trust anybody in this town.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “And so — but, I think from that meeting. And I kinda, the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that the key takeaway is that they didn’t have answers and they didn’t have data for two of the biggest UAP events in recent history.”
ML: “Oh interesting.”
EB: “And so while they, I feel like, did a very good job. In my mind — and I think that when I talk to people who are in the UAP community, especially after that hearing, they generally agree with this — that what they did was they showed us a lot of known UAP events and they debunked them. And I felt like they adequately, in my mind, I felt like they adequately did that.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “But enough that, like, many of them they were public things that I’ve seen, that you’ve seen. But, and they’ve investigated thousands and thousands of things. Now, is their claim — I found it interesting that they say that there’s nothing top secret about extraterrestrial UFOs. The only thing that is top secret is any of our technology that might have been involved.”
ML: “Yeah? Interesting.”
EB: “And if that technology — so if we had devices that recorded it or, you know, captured the footage or there was radar or whatever, all of that is top secret.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “But the item itself is not. And so, I don’t know — they were pretty adamant about that and that their attitude is, ‘Look, if we find something we’re gonna make it public, but so long as it doesn’t compromise our technology.’”
ML: “Our toys.”
EB: “Yes.”
Laslo laughs.
ML: “Do you — cause they always focus on what they’ve uncovered. But I’m like, doesn’t the focus need to be on the stuff that you still don’t know?”
EB: “Right.”
ML: “What they still don’t know?”
EB: “Right. Well and I think that — and this is where I come down to is that we don’t know and I don’t think that we should jump to a conclusion of what it might be. So, to me, I think that we should continue to investigate. I’m not closing the door completely that this is extraterrestrial or — but, I would say, I’ve said this multiple times throughout this process, my worldview has not changed and I tend to…”
ML: “Do you think — like it was interesting Burchett and Luna pushed [Sec. Jennifer] Granholm on Department of Energy…”
EB: “And honestly, I would say, let me add to that: My worldview hasn’t changed, but in a way I kind of want it to. Right? It would be amazing and, you know, it would be the biggest news in the history of the planet since Jesus Christ. And I, but yeah. So it would be — so certainly I’m seeking it but I’m also, I feel like you have to do it with a sound and critical mind.”
ML: “Does it come up, do constituents bring it up?”
EB: “All the time.”
ML: “Oh, really? Interesting.”
EB: “Yeah.”
ML: “And not in a — that’s interesting.”
EB: “Mostly in a fascinated way and sometimes though in a kinda — there’s some people that will bring it up as a joke to say, ‘Why are you —?’ In a way they’re suggesting that I’m…”
ML: “Wasting time?”
EB: “…doing trivial things. Right.”
ML: “Yeah. That’s interesting.”
EB: “And I just remind them that, ‘Hey, I’m on Oversight [Committee]. It’s a responsibility and you have a whistleblower that came forward. It’s a responsibility to Congress.’”
ML: “Do you think AARO has access, cause they were — Burchett and Luna were pushing on Department of Energy, do you think, like does AARO focus purely on DOD [Department of Defense] or does their mandate go outside of DOD?”
EB: “I can’t remember if they’ve been blocked by DOD…”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “So, alright.”
ML: “As always, good to see you.”
EB: “Take care.”
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Rep. Burlison: Detection tech is classified but AARO says "there’s nothing top secret about extraterrestrial UFOs"