Lawmakers have dropped hints about the conclusions of a Pentagon probe into ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’ after receiving a classified briefing about the investigation.
The Navy and FBI informed members of the House Intelligence Committee about the government’s findings on Wednesday, ahead of a much-anticipated UFO report that is expected to be presented to Congress in the coming weeks.
Although remaining tight-lipped on what had been revealed, several lawmakers provided the media with vague but intriguing soundbites.
Committee Chairman Representative Adam Schiff (D-California), said that the briefing was “interesting” but declined to get into details.
“I did learn things that were certainly new to me. But I think I’m going to leave it at that,” he told the New York Post.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-New York) was more talkative when asked about the report’s contents, but still spoke in general terms, describing UFOs as a potential national security threat.
“We take the issue of unexplained aerial phenomena seriously… we want to know what we’re dealing with,” he said. Maloney added that there are “legitimate questions” about the touchy topic, noting that there’s a “proliferation of technologies out there” that may be linked to unidentified aircraft.
Several other congressmen echoed similar concerns about how UFOs could pose a threat to the United States. Rep. Andre Carson (D-Indiana), who played a leading role in pressing the Pentagon to compile its report on the bizarre sightings, said that he was “looking forward” to holding a public hearing on the military’s findings.
The report likely won’t contain the testimonials about alien contact that some Americans may be hoping for, however. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) said he was glad that the “stigma” surrounding UFOs was gone and that the issue was being taken seriously, but cautioned the public against expecting bombshell revelations.
“If I had to predict how the public will react to this, one word would be ‘disappointing,’” he said. His colleague, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), also seemed unimpressed by the Pentagon’s probe.
“I’m not on the edge of my seat,” he told the Post.
Other lawmakers have been more outspoken about UFOs and what they could mean for the United States.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), who is not a member of the Intelligence Committee, told TMZ earlier this week that “clearly something’s going on that we can’t handle,” and suggested that the US military was engaged in a cover-up. He added that he didn’t think that the UFOs could be of Russian origin because “they would own us right now” if Moscow had access to such advanced technology.
The Pentagon’s confirmation of several videos showing US military run-ins with unexplained flying objects has triggered a flood of speculation in the media and prompted Congress to ask for a report into the matter. Officials cited by news outlets said the probe found no evidence that sightings are linked to aliens, but didn’t rule it out as a possibility. The report also allegedly points to the theory that the unidentified objects could be advanced technologies developed by foreign adversaries.
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