UFOs are en vogue in the United States Congress, and UFO hearings are becoming all the rage! The latest government UFO hearing follows a Senate UFO hearing that took place back in April.
House UFO Hearing
On the morning of Wednesday, July 26, the National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight and Accountability committee held a public hearing on the public safety and national security concerns related to unidentified anomalous phenomena. Three witnesses were present to provide testimony: David Fravor, a retired Commander in the U.S Navy who led the F/A-18 squadron that encountered the now-famous tic-tac UFO off the coast of San Diego in 2004; Ryan Graves, a former Navy F-18 pilot who founded Americans for Safe Aerospace to “create a center of support, research, and public education for aircrew impacted by UAP encounters;” David Grusch, a career intelligence officer who has publicly claimed that, during the course of his duties, he became aware of secret programs that have recovered and reverse-engineered non-human spacecraft, and that non-human bodies have been recovered too.
Members of the subcommittee and other members of Congress who were in attendance asked the witnesses questions following the reading of prepared statements by those witnesses. During this questioning, Grusch established that he is convinced the U.S. is in possession of recovered extraterrestrial craft as a result of his “interviewing over 40 witnesses over four years” But Grusch declined to answer most questions, citing classification issues or restrictions because of ongoing Inspector General investigations. However, he did offer to provide additional information to members of Congress in a classified/secure setting.
Some action items were discussed to move forward with investigating Grusch’s incredible claims. We’ll have to wait and see if Congress actually follows through with any of them.
Beyond Grusch and his allegations, the hearing highlighted the need for a broad, centralized UFO reporting system for pilots and the general public.
The Aftermath
In response to the hearing, and the allegations made on the record by David Grusch, a statement was issued by Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Pentagon’s UFO effort known as the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
In his statement, Kirkpatrick voices his frustration by Grusch’s claims, stating, “I cannot let yesterday’s hearing pass without sharing how insulting it was to the officers of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community who chose to join AARO, many with not unreasonable anxieties about the career risks this would entail, that have been working diligently, tirelessly, and often in the face of harassment and animosity, to satisfy their Congressionally-mandated mission. They are truth-seekers, as am I. But you certainly would not get that impression from yesterday’s hearing.” Kirkpatrick pulled no punches, directly challenging several of Grusch’s claims. Kirkpatrick states that Grusch hasn’t even attempted to speak with AARO, nor did he ever work with AARO, as Grusch stated in his prepared statement delivered under oath at the hearing. And, finally, Kirkpatrick reiterated that “to be clear, AARO has yet to find any credible evidence to support the allegations of any reverse engineering program for non-human technology.”
Adding to the drama related to Grusch and his allegations, Representative Tim Burchett, who helped organize the recent hearing in the House, appeared on the tabloid news show TMZ and stated that he attempted to meet with Grusch in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), which is the setting Grusch proposed in order to provide members of Congress with sensitive or classified information. But Burchett says he was denied such access because he was informed that Grusch doesn’t have a security clearance.
On July 27, Rep. Burchett submitted a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, calling for the creation of a select committee focused on UAP.
What’s Next?
More government UFO reports are scheduled to be published soon, and more Congressional hearings are in the works as more in the government become intrigued and want to ride the current wave of UFO interest. A flood of conspiracy theories and clashes of opinions are guaranteed in the coming months as individuals struggle to make sense of everything happening, distinguish fact from fiction, and manage expectations.
You can watch the recording of the recent hearing here:
Prepared testimony from Ryan Graves
Prepared testimony from David Fravor
Prepared testimony from David Grusch
What do you think?
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