Here are the 5 most memorable moments from Congress’ UFO hearing
Here are the 5 most memorable moments from Congress’ UFO hearing
Former military officials made a series of mystifying claims about unidentified aerial phenomena under oath at Wednesday’s congressional hearing.
By Michael Mitsanas
Three former military officials told Congress Wednesday that they believe the government knows much more about UFOs than it is telling the public.
A House Oversight subcommittee held a hearing on UFOs — officially known as unidentified aerial phenomena or UAPs — and heard mystifying testimony about unexplained object sightings and government possession of “nonhuman” biological matter.
Lawmakers on the committee, baffled by some of the testimony, repeatedly noted that UAP sightings are an issue of bipartisan concern and raise national security questions. Separately, some accused the federal government of endeavoring to conceal key UFO-related information from the public, though they did not provide evidence to support those allegations.
“The sheer number of reports, whistleblowers and stories of unidentified anomalous phenomena should raise real questions and warrant investigation and oversight. And that’s why we are here today,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, said in his opening statement. “UAPs, whatever they may be, may pose a serious threat to our military or civilian aircraft. And that must be understood.”
These UAP sightings, experts say, might be attributable to balloons, drones, optical illusions or even the blinking lights of a commercial airliner. The Pentagon has said they have seen no evidence linking UAPs to alien activity, though they have not ruled out that explanation.
Here are five of the witnesses’ main claims from the hearing:
Government is ‘absolutely’ in possession of UAPs
David Grusch, a former U.S. intelligence official, told the panel that he is “absolutely” certain that the federal government is in possession of UAPs, citing interviews he said he conducted with 40 witnesses over a four-year period.
The former U.S. intelligence official said he led Defense Department efforts to analyze reported UAP sightings and was informed of a “multidecade” Pentagon program that endeavored to collect and reconstruct crashed UAPs.
Asked by Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., how such a program is funded, Grusch claimed that the effort is “above congressional oversight” and bankrolled by a “misappropriation of funds.”
“Does that mean that there is money in the budget that is set to go to a program but it doesn’t and it goes to something else?,” Moskowitz asked.
“Yes. I have specific knowledge of that,” Grusch said, though he did not provide more details, claiming the information remains classified.
‘Nonhuman biologics’ were found at a crash site
Grusch, who underscored that he has not personally spotted a UAP, told the panel that he knows of “multiple colleagues” who were injured by UAPs. He also said he has interviewed individuals who have recovered “nonhuman biologics” from crashed UAPs.
Grusch said he prefers to use the term “nonhuman” rather than alien or extraterrestrial. READ MORE