Who?
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets
LISTEN: Laslo & Burlison
Ask a Pol asks:
Do you know why there's no UAP hearing in the US House Oversight Committee this week?
Key Burlison:
“I don't. There's, there's not a lot of communication, I believe, happening between the Oversight and — I have not heard why we're not having the hearing tomorrow,” Rep. Eric Burlison exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I had a [briefing] with AARO yesterday — and David Grusch was with me — and David gave them more information, I think, than they gave us...“
Burlison on Elizondo: “he wanted to have time to vet it”
“He's a US citizen, he's a patriot, he's only done things to attempt to be loyal to his country, and at the UAP [roundtable], when he showed the photo to me, he said the caveat that he's not vetted this and that he was just handed this and he almost hesitated to show us because he wanted to have time to vet it, but he wants to be transparent,” Burlison says. “Give the guy a break. Give him a break. I would rather have people err on the side of being being aggressive in their disclosure then to be overly cautious.”*
“I would rather have people err on the side of being being aggressive in their disclosure then to be overly cautious.”
- Rep. Eric Burlison
*Congress knows the Ask a Pol Army is a force: “I think that your listeners should understand that — and hopefully they do understand that — and look, don't you want all of it out there?”
Caught our ear:
“The irony is, one of the reasons why we postponed the previous hearing in the SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) with Lou Elizondo and others was that we were, we were trying to get David Grusch there,” Burlison says. “He still doesn't have his clearance, and he has other issues that are pressing for him that he has to get back home.”
“It's unfortunate, but on Thursday, we're going to have that [classified SCIF briefing]. I don't know who all is going to be in it. Apparently Lou is not because of all this kerfuffle,” Burlison tells us. “Then we have a briefing with the FBI in the afternoon. So this is UAP Week*…”
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 (5-14-2025)
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo’s at the Capitol early Wednesday morning staking out an all-GOP conference meeting on President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” — a debate Rep. Eric Burlison and other Freedom Caucus members are starting to play an outsized role in.
After the congressional press corps exhausts their budget reconciliation questions, the congressman starts walking back to his office via an underground tunnel.
When Laslo slides in for a ‘private’ exclusive chat — which they never quite got because another reporter tagged along, enjoying every second of Burlison’s UAP updates (“I just wanted to bug you about Medicaid. This is also very interesting…”) — Burlison knows why Ask a Pol’s waiting in the wings…
Matt Laslo: “What happened to that hearing…?”
Eric Burlison: “A lot of frustration in this area right now, because you've got last [week], you know, Lou Elizondo has left the UAP Disclosure Fund. I think that's unfortunate. I don't think people should beat up on Lou as much as he's been beat up on the internet and social media.”
ICYMI — the ‘UAP hearing’ that was never scheduled…
ML: “Yeah.”
EB: “The truth is, he's a US citizen, he's a patrio, he's only done things to attempt to be loyal to his country. And at the UAP hearing [roundtable], when he showed the photo to me, he said the caveat that he's not vetted this and that he was just handed this and he almost hesitated to show us because he wanted to have time to vet it, but he wants to be transparent.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “Give the guy a break. Give him a break. I would rather have people err on the side of being being aggressive in their disclosure then to be overly cautious.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “I think that your listeners should understand that — and hopefully they do understand that — and look, don't you want all of it out there?”
ML: “Yeah.”
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Then play it forward, fam.
EB: “Even the stuff that they, so that everybody — let the internet and the sleuth fighters figure this out, right?”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “Let the collective intelligence of the United States citizens determine what's the facts and some of this stuff. That's what I think we would all want, right?”
ML: “Yeah? Do you know why they there's no hearing this week?”
EB: “Open hearing? I don't. I there's, there's not a lot of communication, I believe, happening between the Oversight and — we're not understanding, I have not heard why we're not having the hearing tomorrow. I had a hearing with AARO yesterday.”
ML: “Yeah? Oh yeah?”
EB: “A briefing with AARO…”
ML: “Just you and them?”
Burlison turns to congressional reporter who’s been following and listening to the private convo…
EB: “Are you waiting to talk with me?”
Reporter: “Yeah, yeah, no. I just wanted to bug you about Medicaid. This is also very interesting.”
Burlison and Laslo laugh as the congressman turns his attention back to (YOU!) Ask a Pol.
EB: “…a briefing with AARO — and David Grusch was with me…”
ML: “Oh interesting. And just you and him…?”
EB: “…and David gave them more information, I think, than they gave us.”
ML: “Really?”
EB: “Yes.”
ML: “Interesting.”
EB: “At least new information.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “So that was a very productive meeting. Unfortunately — the irony is, one of the reasons why we postponed the previous hearing in the SCIF with Lou Elizondo and others was that we were, we were trying to get David Grusch there.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “He still doesn't have his clearance, and he has other issues that are pressing for him that he has to get back home.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “And so it's unfortunate, but on Thursday, we're going to have that hearing. I don't know who all is going to be in it. Apparently Lou is not because of all this kerfuffle, but we and then we have a briefing with the FBI in the afternoon. So this is UAP Week…”
ML: “But not with AARO — not with AARO Thursday?”
EB: “No. I had the private briefing, yesterday…”
ML: “Yeah? And that was just you, them and Gru…?”
EB: “And David Grusch.”
ML: “And Grusch?”
EB: “Yeah.”
ML: “And so what’s Thursdays…?”
EB: “And other people from the intelligence, different arms of the intelligence community.”
ML: “Yeah? So what's Thursday’s briefing with the FBI. Is that going to be more incursions?”
EB: “Yeah. I mean, we've — David Grusch encouraged the Oversight Committee to set this up, so he's going to be giving the topic and the content and where to go.”
ML: “And he'll be there for it?”
EB: “He won’t be able to make it.”
ML: “That’s what I thought. Cool, cool.”
EB: “Thank you.”
ML: “Thank you!”
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