Who?
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets
LISTEN: Laslo & Burlison
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
“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…
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.
Limited time SALE: Celebrate #darkUAPweek in style
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.
What would you ask Congress? Let us know and we’re on it!
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…
Thanks for all you do to keep Ask a Pol going strong!
Find us on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!
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.”
JK: “Really?”
EB: “I was extremely impressed.”
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT*
Student? Lost your gig? Hard times? Been there.
We have a free sub for ya. No questions asked. Ping us.
JK: “So you felt like you got more from them in terms of their investigative chops on the topic than you’ve gotten from AARO in the past?”
EB: “Umm — for the most part. I mean, because I think that they're getting caught up — and what was interesting is that the things that they were showing us are different then the videos that I've seen from AARO.”
JK: “So they have different material?”
EB: “They have different material.”
ML: “Huh?”
EB: “Which begs the question, are they working together? And I don't, I don't know how well they're working together.”
JK: “We don’t have an answer to that question?”
EB: “No.”
ML: “Well, that's so curious, at the end of last year, FBI, DOJ and Border Patrol testified in front of Homeland Security [Committee], and they said — under oath — ‘we have no f*cking idea what any of this stuff up and down the East Coast is.’”
EB: “Right.”
ML: “And that's where I'm curious if higher ups at DOJ are talking to this office?”
EB: “To me, that’s what the FBI is focused on, is like national security. They want to make sure that whatever these things are, that they're not China, they're not Russia, they are or a threatening — and they're sticking within the United States, the purview of the United States.”
ML: “Yes?”
EB: “If it's something's violating our airspace and violating laws, they have a responsibility, but 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.”
ML: “Was that revelatory, because you guys have been so focused on the Pentagon…?”
EB: “It was.”
ML: “…and if they're looking overseas…”
EB: “It was.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “And they showed us, like, a list of the different agencies and what authorities they have, and that kind of became clear — because AARO has really only, on the list, AARO only has two and the FBI has, they check all the boxes.”
ML: “Really? Interesting.”
EB: “Other than the two that AARO has so AARO has funding for this specifically, but yet the FBI has all the resources. They have all this, you know — that's the argument that they were making.”
ML: “Do you think AARO now needs to go talk to these people?”
EB: “I think they need to work together, for sure.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JK: “Do you have any indications like why they're not? It seems obvious, as layman that they should be talking to each other. You have any idea why they're not doing that right now?”
EB: “I don't know.”
JK: “I guess my question is this, do you think AARO is closed off in itself? They're not, you know, they don't want to share — is that your impression?”
EB: “No. I don’t think so. What I do think is that, it has to do with how it's reported.”
Joe slips a tad while walking on thin marble separating planters from the sidewalk (Laslo says he didn’t wobble when he was on it earlier in interview! Kids…), so Burlison stops and goes to help.
JK: “I’m just working on my balance.”
Joe don’t need no congressman’s help and nails his descent.
EB: “So when somebody reports to the field office, to the the FBI, and they say, ‘Hey, there's some strange object that's floating over the pond behind my house,’ then the FBI’s gonna send people in and investigate it at the end of the day. And so there's a team that then follows up. I mean, it's very X Files, like reminiscent of X Files, to be honest.”
JK: “Yeah?”
ML: “How are their clothes?
EB: “What?”
ML: “Did they have cool suits on?”
Joe and Laslo laugh.
EB: “They look like FBI agents, right?”
Timothy Alberino: “The essential question.”
ML: “Right?”
EB: “They’re all buttoned up, but at the end of the day, you know, they send somebody in the field and then there's a small, very small team that can go out research this. And they have, actually, they said they've actually — these guys, some different people on the team have actually seen objects.”
JK: “Interesting?”
ML: “Huh?”
JK: “Are they — is anyone asking the FBI about the crash retrieval stuff?”
EB: “Not, not — we did…”
ML: “Besides you today.”
EB: “We did today. They have not.”
ML: “Was that illuminating?”
EB: “So both AARO and the FBI have not had any direct connection to any hard, like, material, bodies, anything like that. All of that is all — I mean, is basically, [people reported].”*
*message us if you know what he’s saying and we’ll fix it ASAP!
JK: “No one says they've seen any hard evidence?”
EB: “No.”
ML: “Let me ask the flip side of his earlier question: As you're going down with your investigation, are you kind of realizing AARO’s kind of powerless, because they're only as good as the top brass is gonna allow them to be?”
EB: “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…”
ML: “Huh?”
EB: “…which is there's programs that are that are not required to report to Congress.”
ML: “Interesting — but you guys are dialoguing with them through [Director of National Intelligence] Tulsi [Gabbard]?”
EB: “We are.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “Yeah.”
Laslo turns to Joe.
ML: “Sorry bro.”
JK: “No.”
Joe turns to Burlison.
JK: “So is there a chance that they get into DNI folks or something?”
EB: “Uhh.”
ML: “Or are you guys done with SCIFs? Are you gonna have this party in the open?”
EB: “No, no, no. It’s not done.”
JK: “SCIF's are so 2024.”
Laslo laughs.
JK: “SCIF's are so 2024.”
Burlison smiles.
EB: “Right?”
Burlison gets serious again.
EB: “No. We’re not done. We're gonna keep going.”
ML: “And why is that?”
JK: “So any chance you get the White House folks to come talk to you about this?”
Two of Burlison’s aides are waiting outside of a white Lexus.
EB: “Is this the car?”
Aide I: “Yeah.”
Aide II: “This is the car right here. Yup. His name is Chris.”
JK: “Any chance you can get the White House folks to come talk to you about this?”
Burlison walks to back of 4-door SUV.
Timothy Alberino: “You can sit up front, Congressman.”
EB: “Yeah. I’m sure. Yeah.”
JK: “Okay. Fair enough.”
EB: “Trump's administration is very transparent, so — thank you guys…”
ML: “That’s what y’all keep saying, but y’all haven’t even brought in the FAA. You know [former DHS Secretary] Mayorkas had a briefing with the Jersey delegation, and he said the have no f*cking clue what this stuff is, so if he lied to them, y’all should be investigating that.”
EB: “Okay.”
Laslo laughs.
JK: “It was good to meet you.”
Timothy Alberino: “Nice to meet you.”
JK: “I’ll reach out to you.”
Timothy Alberino: “Yeah, reach out to me.”
ML: “Preciate ya, sir.”
The congressman and Timothy Alberino navigate entering the car, while Joe and Laslo walk back to the Capitol together.
Share this post