Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets
Ask a Pol asks:
As you all continue your UAP investigation, are you realizing AARO — the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office — is kind of powerless, because they're only as good as the top Pentagon brass will let them be?
Key Burlison:
“Yeah, and I think that what we've learned from David Grusch in our meeting with AARO is that AARO’s focus on DOD — and, you know, defense and those agencies and what can be reported to Congress — but a lot of this is at the White House level,” Burlison says. “There are programs that are not required to report to Congress.”
Interesting, but the Secrets Task Force is still dialoguing with them through Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard?
“We are,” Burlison confirmed.
“There are programs that are not required to report to Congress.”
— Rep. Eric Burlison
ICYMI — Ask a Pol broke news of that meeting yesterday
Rep. Eric Burlison, David Grusch & AARO walk into a SCIF... (w/ updates on Elizondo, FBI hearing this week, et.)
Matt Laslo
·
5月15日
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“different people on the team have actually seen objects”
“There's a small, very small team that can go out research this,” Burlison says. “Some different people on the team have actually seen objects.”
ICYMI — Last year, FBI, DOJ & CBP told Congress they didn’t know what the craft over New Jersey were…
Laslo references this 2024 hearing with Burlison. Source: @MattLaslo on X
FBI wants bigger UAP role
“They would like a little bit more direct authority, so they specifically requested that we make some tweaks to some language regarding giving them more authority over this topic,” Burlison tells us of the FBI.
Caught our ear:
“Both AARO and the FBI have not had any direct connection to any hard, like, material, bodies, anything like that,” Burlison tells us.
*Please forgive (or point out!) typos. We rushed to get this out ASAP, fam!
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Eric Burlison (5-15-2025)
SCENE: Secrets Chair Anna Paulina Luna just hopped in her staffer’s car when Rep. Eric Burlison proceeds to introduce his guest, ufologist Timothy Alberino — who we’re told wasn’t a part of today’s SCIF briefings — to Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo and NewsNation’s Joe Khalil.
Because we’re, basically, the sole UAP reporters in Washington, Khalil and Laslo proceed to tag team Burlison with questions as the group — including Alberino and what looked to be one of his sons… — walks a few blocks from the Capitol to the private Capitol Hill Club where Burlison’s staff picks the three of them up in a white Lexus to take them to…
Eric Burlison: “So we’re getting ready to go on Tim Pool tonight.”
Joe Khalil: “You are? I didn’t know that.”
Matt Laslo: “Oh nice. Cool. Nice, nice.”
JK: “I don’t know if you — wanna do this together?”
Joe turns to Laslo.
ML: “Yeah tag team him.”
JK: “We’re the only reporters on the Hill doing this.”
They laugh.
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EB: “I only have 6 minutes to be over to the Capitol Hill Club.”
ML: “We can walk with you if you want.”
EB: “That would be great.”
JK: “Let’s get our steps in.”
They start heading away from the Capitol as security barriers groan, letting lawmakers and their aides in and out after the last House vote of the night (and week…).
JK: “Let’s just go broad, you know, 30,000 feet. how do you think both [SCIF briefings] went today?”
EB: “Umm — it was. There's a lot of weird stuff that happened this week. We had three people that called in sick, basically, here, and I don't know what that's about.”
JK: “And these would have been briefers?”
Huge steal security barriers creaks open.
EB: “Yes. And my own staffer. So — and I won’t comment about that, because he’s a staff member.”*
*he means David Grusch who is now a Capitol hill staffer…
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ML: “Yes.”
Burlison gets a call from the staffer they’re walking to meet.
EB: “Yes. We’re walking over right now…”
ML: “Was the FBI one classified?”
EB: “Yes.”
ML: “Yeah? Totally?”
Burlison nods.
JK: “So obviously you can't talk about what was said inside, can you give us a — like what was the nature of why we wanted to have these different than what previously happened?”
EB: “We learned that the FBI does have, like, it's very small office that’s researching this topic, and when we and so we reached out to them, they were very open to to demonstrating in Congress. And honestly, of all the people that we've talked with, all the meetings we've had, they are the most professional and brought quite a bit to the meeting.”
