Sen. Cory Booker: “My staff is obsessed with [UAPs/UFOs]”
Ask a Pol personally broke news of whistleblower David Grusch to Senator Booker.
Last Wednesday, a day before senators hit the road until after the Fourth of July, as he was rushing to catch the tram under the Capitol, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) first learned of UAP (UFO) whistleblower David Grusch.
“I don’t know,” Booker replied. “I wanna find out about it now.”
The New Jersey senator serves on the powerful Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, among others. He’s not on the Armed Services or Intelligence Committees—the two panels taking the investigative lead on UAPs on both sides of this divided Capitol.
While Booker reported being eager to catch up, he says his senatorial staff are the real UAP watchers.
“I haven’t dug into it. My staff is obsessed with it, though,” Booker said before asking for an article on Grusch.
Below is a transcript of my latest interview with Booker (conducted on 6-21-2023). While transcripts are usually temporarily paywalled, there’s context at the bottom here that’s important to all.
Matt Laslo: “Hey...”
Cory Booker: “What do you want from me!?”
ML: “...have you looked into that UAP/UFO whistleblower?”
CB: “The UAP whistleblower?”
ML: “Yeah, the new one?”
CB: “I don’t know. I wanna find out about it now.”
ML: “Do you have–yeah, Gillibrand’s planning hearings and stuff. You haven’t really been…?”
CB: “I haven’t dug into it. My staff is obsessed with it, though.”
ML: “Right?”
CB: *laughs* “Yes.”
ML: “I did a piece for WIRED on it, and now there’s thousands of…”
CB: “I wanna listen to it.”*
ML: “Yeah. Look into it.”
CB: “Send me the piece. I wanna hear the piece.”
ML: “Will do.”**
*Context: For years, I covered Booker for WHYY, Philly NPR, hence his “listen” and “hear the piece.”
**Background: Only texted my WIRED feature to Booker this week, and the Senate’s in recess. No response yet.
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*I have a similar relationship with MTG! First time I met her I won her over for life.
Mic and notepad at my side: “Pleasure meeting you ma’am. You would have been my Congresswoman if this was 2 decades ago, back when I was studying to be a pastor and giving sermons in your district!” 🤯
I say my job is to get lawmakers to f*** up and tell me what they’re actually thinking. Been to every freshmen orientation since ‘06 cause I wanna be one of the first faces they associate with the Capitol. So I gladly help show them say, where the ladies room is. Or sat on a bench for 10 mins with Rep Ayanna Pressley as she changed from her heels (rookie mistake in Capitol: Flats on marvel!) into gym shoes. We traded knee injury stories -- like when I tore my MCL chasing former VP Pence through the Capital on a rainy day, so to this day we check up on each others joints! 😂
I also read their bios when they first arrive in DC, and look for any little bit of connection we have -- even if 2 or 3 steps removed -- and I lead with that to try and win them over.
Right?
Also, that Booker post feels ages ago... haha