Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said the classified briefing around unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), more commonly known as UFOs, may have only moved the needle a little bit, but it “energized” the House on the issue.
“I’d say on a scale of one to ten, I’d give it a four. I’d say the needle moved … it was bipartisan,” Burchett told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo in an interview Friday, when asked about how the hearing went.
He noted that “the whole gang” was in the room, pointing out Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).
“At one time, we had 16 congressmen in there,” he added. “And these were people that normally … you wouldn’t see.”
Lawmakers left the hearing with mixed feelings. Some were frustrated with the limited information and some claimed they were given more insight after an explosive testimony by a whistleblower began conversations last summer.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) leaves a a classified briefing with Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Thomas Monheim and members of the Congressional UAP Caucus on Friday, January 12, 2024. (Allison Robbert)
Thomas Monheim, inspector general of the intelligence community, spoke with House Oversight and Accountability Community members in an attempt to improve transparency around what the government knows about UAP.
Burchett told Cuomo that he couldn’t tell him “what the big issue” of the meeting was, but said the closed-door conference provided “some validity to what’s been said.”
The Tennessee Republican noted there will be more hearings on the issue and said what the meeting Friday did accomplish, was that it “energized” Congress to keep looking into the issue.
Top Stories from The Hill
- DeSantis reaches for momentum out of Iowa
- 5 things to watch as shutdown deadline looms
- Greene claims she threatened Johnson with motion to vacate over border deal
- Swalwell argues Trump being treated ‘better’ than normal criminal defendants
The secret meeting comes after a hearing in July, when David Grusch — a former military intelligence officer — provided a stunning testimony and asserted that the Pentagon and other agencies are withholding information about UAPs. The Defense Department has denied those claims.
Burchett previously said he believes in the existence of extraterrestrial life and has accused the government of covering up evidence of it.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.