In an interview with Jesse Watters, Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) issued a strong call for transparency around Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), more commonly known as UFOs, and warned that, based on what he has seen in classified footage, the U.S. is “vastly out of our league.”
Burchett’s statements came as he filed an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that, if passed, would compel the Secretary of Defense to declassify records related to public sightings of UAPs.
The Tennessee Congressman, a vocal critic of secrecy around UAPs, used the interview to reinforce his position. “Those are videos that were taken by American military,” Burchett said, referencing footage of fast-moving, tic-tac-shaped objects. “Those are some of the best pilots in the world. So either they’re lying or somebody else is lying. And so I tend to go with our military men and women.”
In the interview, Burchett dismissed common theories that these UAPs are secret Russian or Chinese technology. “If the Chinese had it, they’d own us,” Burchett argued. “So you’re left with one other conclusion. These things are coming from somewhere else.”
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Beyond his amendment, Burchett’s call for greater transparency extends to the pilots who encounter these phenomena, who he believes are currently discouraged from coming forward.
“These pilots are afraid to come forward, even with whistleblower protection,” Burchett warned. He told Watters that the pilots he has spoken with have reported being interrogated for hours and then instructed not to say anything about their encounters with these unidentified objects.
The Republican Congressman had strong words for the Pentagon’s handling of UAP investigations, expressing frustration over the lack of expert analysis provided during public hearings. He even mentioned an instance where a pilot involved in one of the documented UFO incidents was denied the opportunity to testify before an intelligence committee.
Burchett was candid about his frustration with the existing status quo. “Why are they covering this up? I think the world needs to know,” he declared. “All they need to do is turn loose the files. Turn loose the unredacted files they have.”
While the U.S. government has become more open in recent years about investigating UAPs, with the Department of Defense establishing the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force in 2020, Burchett’s comments align with a growing frustration among some lawmakers about the pace and openness of these investigations.