Who?
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Armed Services & Intelligence Committees
LISTEN: Laslo & Rounds
Ask a Pol asks:
Were you ever able to check out that Wall Street Journal report on an alleged Air Force secret UFO program meant to fake American pilots out?
Key Rounds:
“It’s not really secret,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Let me put it this way, there was no surprise in the discussion of it. I thought that was pretty well common knowledge that that had been going on for years.”
ICYMI — UAP Caucus up in arms over WSJ report
"How is that not illegal?” — in wake of WSJ reporting, Rep. Burlison wants to investigate Air Force
Caught our ear:
There’s a former member of the intel community who says the US government has AI with unparalleled predictive qualities. Have you seen that?
“I don’t know if I could define that,” Rounds tells us. “That’s what I better leave it at.”
ICYMI — advanced artificial inteligence…
I’m curious if that’s what you guys meant by non-human intelligence in your UAPDA [UAP Disclosure Act]?
“No,” Rounds replies. “No.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), slightly edited for clarity.
Transcript: Sen. Mike Rounds (6-18-2025)
Scene: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo waits in the wings as Sen. Mike Rounds poses for a picture with school children visiting the nation’s capital from South Dakota.
As the senator makes his way to down the hall to deliver a speech to another group of visiting voters, Laslo swoops in for a quick, if packed, interview.
Matt Laslo: “I know you’re in a hurry, I’ll be quick — were you ever able to check out that Wall Street Journal article?”
Wall Street Journal report:
Mike Rounds: “You got to remind me again which one it is.”
ML: “The UAP / UFO one…”
MR: “Oh, I…”
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT*
ML: “…saying there’s like a hidden — or a program that’s been secret.”
MR: “…well, it’s not really secret, I mean…”
ML: “Yeah?”
MR: “...it’s been…”
ML: “Well, that was kept secret from Air Force members.”
MR: “Let me put it this way…”
ML: “Yeah?”
MR: “...there was no surprise in the discussion of it. I thought that was pretty well common knowledge that that had been going on for years.”
ML: “Oh really?”
MR: “Oh yeah, I mean…”
ML: “Interesting.”
MR: “...that’s what — I mean, the F-117 and other stealth products…”
ML: “Yeah?”
MR: “...that people hadn’t seen before…”
ML: “Yeah?”
MR: “...and some of the earlier ones, clearly anybody that could suggest that it was something…”
ML: “Yeah.”
MR: “...other than what it was, I was fine with them to — I never gave it a second thought that that wasn’t.”
ML: “There’s a former member of the intel community who says that US government has AI with unparalleled predictive qualities. Have you seen that? I’m curious if that’s…”
MR: “I don’t know if I could define that.”
ML: “Yeah?”
MR: “That’s what I better leave it at.”
ML: “Well, I’m curious if that’s what you guys meant by non-human intelligence in your UAPDA [UAP Disclosure Act]?”
MR: “No.”
ML: “No?”
MR: “No, no.”
ML: “Interesting.”
Elevator arrives.
MR: “No.”
ML: “Preciate ya!”
MR: “Okay.”
The senator and his aides enter a room tucked in back of a bank of elevators on the first floor of the US Capitol.
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