Who?
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Intelligence and Armed Services Committees
*Student? Lost your gig? Hard times? Been there. Got you. No questions asked. Ping us.
LISTEN: Laslo & Rounds
Ask a Pol asks:
Are you read in on every program — like, with military contractors, there could be something that you don’t know?
Key Rounds:
“Well, you never know if you’re read in or not,” Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol “You never know.”
“We're not sure where they're coming from.” — Sen. Mike Rounds
Caught our ear:
“We're recognizing that there are things that are difficult to explain sometimes, and our biggest concern is for national defense purposes: What are they? Where are they from? And the natural suggestion is they may very well be either ours or an adversary's. We do not want to get into a position of exposing any one of our very sensitive programs, but we're not sure where they're coming from,” Rounds tells us.
Rounds on UAP Caucus attempt to hire David Grusch
Remember the name ‘David Grusch’ — the UFO whistleblower?
“Yeah. Yeah,” Rounds tells Ask a Pol.
One of your House colleagues — a House Republican — wants to hire him on their staff so that he can help them with their investigations into SAPs — Special Access Programs. What do you make of that?
“I don't think there was anything that disqualified him from that,” Rounds tells Ask a Pol. “And we most certainly don't ask the House who they should hire and they don't ask us.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mike Rounds
Matt Laslo: “Look at this young man.”
Mike Rounds: “Look ’atcha, you didn’t even get to go home yet, huh?”
ML: “I know, right? I live here.”
Rounds laughs.
ML: “Do you remember the name ‘David Grusch’? The UFO whistleblower?”
MR: “Yeah. Yeah.”
ML: “One of your House colleagues — a House Republican — wants to hire him on their staff so that he can help them with their investigations into SAPs — Special Access Programs. What do you make of that?”
MR: “I don't think there was anything that disqualified him from that. And we most certainly don't ask the House who they should hire and they don't ask us.”
Rounds laughs.
ML: “Yeah. Well it seems like, over here — it just seems like they’re doing a full-throated investigation into something very different over there. Looking into, like, extraterrestrial life or hidden programs. But it seems like over here, you guys are very focused on foreign nations and potential drone intrusions, stuff like that, or special development…?”
MR: “Y’know, I mean, look, we're recognizing that there are things that are difficult to explain sometimes, and our biggest concern is for national defense purposes: what are they? Where are they from? And the natural suggestion is they may very well be either ours or an adversary's. We do not want to get into a position of exposing any one of our very sensitive programs, but we're not sure where they're coming from. So, if the House wants to include specific language — we tried to and the House was…”
ML: “Are you read in on every program?”
MR: “Well, you never know if you’re read in or not.”
ML: “But the US contractors, there could be something that you don’t know?”
Rounds is now on the tram underneath the US Capitol. The doors bang closed, but he’s still wrapping up his conversation just out of mic range, so Laslo’s repeating each word he says.
ML: “‘Who knows’? Never know — ‘you never know.’”
Rounds nods and smiles — affirming he said ‘you never know’ — as the automatic tram pulls away.
ML: “Have a good one.”
Sen. Rounds on UAPs around military sites: "we're not sure where they're coming from"