The witness list for next week’s highly anticipated UFO hearing in the House of Representatives remains a closely guarded secret, but a senior congressional source—one who’s been active and at the table throughout all stages of the investigation—confirmed to Ask a Pol that UAP whistleblower David Grusch is scheduled to be on the dais.
While Grusch is lined up, the hearings co-chairs, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Tim Burchett (R-TN), haven’t released a witness list, in part, because they don’t want witnesses to become targets of character assassination campaigns.
As their July 26th hearing date draws closer, Burchett says they’ve had to overcome unforeseen hurdles.
“They tried to block it—staff tried to block it. Everybody tried to block it,” a visibly frustrated Burchett tells Ask a Pol. “That's not the job of staff of the so-called intelligence community. It’s the job of the committee.”
At the end of June, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer exclusively told Ask a Pol some of the witnesses Luna and Burchett wanted to question in their public hearing didn’t pass his committee’s political background check, though he didn’t elaborate.
Burchett says the hits have been coming from, seemingly, every angle.
“Also, the Pentagon has flexed their muscle. We've lost a witness because of that, and NASA has backed down. And they blocked my amendment, which basically says if there are any, then they oughta come forward with information and they say there's not any but they're blocking my amendment,” Burchett says.
Still, they’re undeterred and eager to allow the public inside their investigation, even over the protests of ever-maneuvering aides.
“Staff needs to assume its position,” Burchett tells Ask a Pol, “and Congress needs to assume its authority.”
Matt Laslo is a veteran congressional correspondent and founder of Ask a Pol—a people-powered press corps. Find him on most social media @MattLaslo.
We’re@Ask_a_Pol or@askpols on Insta.
* Heads Up: when there’s silence in our audio tracks, it’s because we agreed to go off the record and stayed off the record for as long as the silence.
** All the commotion in the background of our Burchett exclusive is because Israeli President Isaac Herzog had just finished his address to a joint session of Congress.
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You beauty! - I just hope they’re keeping Grusch safe. A week is a long time.
And if the ‘House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’ are roadblocking, it’s no wonder - its chairman is Rep. Mike Turner, whose profile proudly states:
“Prior to Congressman Turner's election, there was no advocate for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on the important House Armed Services Committee. Congressman Turner filled that void and throughout his time in Congress..”
https://intelligence.house.gov/about/chairman.htm
..During which, if ever there was a financial void in Mike Turner’s career, donors including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics generously filled it with hundreds of thousand$:
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/michael-r-turner/summary?cid=N00025175&cycle=Career
In June 2021, ‘Citizens Against Government Waste’ named Turner ‘Porker of the Month’ - “..a dubious honour given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers”:
https://www.cagw.org/porker-of-the-month/cagw-names-rep-mike-turner-june-2021-porker-month
In 2010, ‘Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’ listed Turner among the “most corrupt” lawmakers in the nation:
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/national-govt--politics/turner-named-among-corrupt-ethics-group-roberts-calls-for-investigation/mknLWzssdw32hWvhkcRWIO/
There are supposedly 3 to testify publicly. Hopefully, there are more in closed hearings. Bring it down.