Who?
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) — Member, Oversight Committee, Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets & Congressional UAP Caucus
LISTEN: Laslo & Burlison
Ask a Pol asks:
Tuesday's public UAP hearing before the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets is focused on transparency, so why not have the FBI UFO office in to testify or do they wanna stay in the shadows? This is more Pentagon focused?
Key Burlison:
“Yeah. We are focusing on the Pentagon,” Rep. Eric Burlison exclusively tells Ask a Pol.
What do you hope the takeaway is? More for the UAP community or more for the government?
“I mean, I don’t know. I think — I hope we get some new insights from the witnesses,” Burlison says. “But what I’m saying is, even if we get nothing new, I think what’s gonna happen with the letters [aka, interrogatories*] and us dropping them along with the hearing will get — that’s what I’m most excited about.”
*Definition of interrogatory:
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Caught our ear:
“What I want your listeners — and everyone who’s paying attention to this — to know is, there’s much more we’re doing behind the scenes, to make connections to people and make progress, in addition to writing letters,” Burlison tells us. “You’ll be hearing that we’re gonna be dropping interrogatories.”**
Congress and interrogatories:
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 (9-4-2025)
SCENE: After casting his last vote of the week, Rep. Eric Burlison’s walking from the Capitol to his office across the street when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo snags him for a quick interview.
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Matt Laslo (ML): “How are you? Have a good August?”
Rep. Eric Burlison (EB): “Yeah.”
ML: “What do you hoping Tuesday's hearing answers?”
EB: ”You know, I don’t know how the hearing’s gonna go. We’ve got people — I think we’ve got at least two good witnesses.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “Umm.”
ML: “Which two?”
EB: “I can’t say.”
Laslo laughs.
EB: “I’ll let the committee release that.”
ICYMI — Secrets Chair Luna dropped witness list
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ML: “Yeah? Oh, [Rep. Anna Paulina Luna] already released all four names.”
EB: “Oh, she did? Okay.”
ML: “Yeah, yesterday.”
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EB: “Okay, good.”
ML: “Yeah, [George] Knapp and some others.”
EB: “Yeah. So there’s some good people in there. But what I want your listeners — and everyone who’s paying attention to this — to know is, there’s much more we’re doing behind the scenes, to make connections to people and make progress, in addition to writing letters.”
ML: “Yeah?”
EB: “So you’ll be hearing that we’re gonna be dropping interrogatories. I don’t know if you’ve heard about that?”
Laslo shakes head no.
EB: “So, of the things that are gonna happen, I’m actually more excited about us dropping these letters that are essentially like a FOIA [freedom of information act] request for information.”
ML: “An ‘innerogarary’?”
EB: “They call it an interrogatory.”
ML: “Hmm. Interesting.”
EB: “We will be doing that.”
ML: “Is it kind of like at the subpoena level? Or is it more…?”
EB: “I am not an attorney.”
ML: “But it’s just formal?”
EB: “But I’m told it’s a formal request. And that when we make that, it will send — it will basically send shock waves through the intel community.”
ML: “Interesting. Huh.”
EB: “So…”
ML: “Do you — someone was asking me: what happened to David Grusch’s op-ed?”
EB: “Op-ed? Oh, that was a long time ago.”
ML: “Yeah, but now he’s a staffer.”
EB: “I think he’s moved on to other things. He still has it — he could always drop it sometime.”
ML: “So for this hearing, like why not have the FBI folks? Because it’s on transparency. Or do they just wanna stay in the shadows?”
EB: “Yeah. I…”
ML: “This is more Pentagon focused?”
EB: “Yeah. We are focusing on the Pentagon.”
ML: “What do you hope the takeaway is? More for the UAP community or more for the government?”
EB: “I mean, I don’t know. I think — I hope we get some new insights from the witnesses. But what I’m saying is, even if we get nothing new, I think what’s gonna happen with the letters and us dropping them along with the hearing will get — that’s what I’m most excited about.”
ML: “Are they going to go Pentagon? Department of Energy?”
EB: “You’ll see.”
ML: “Yeah?”
ML: “‘You’ll see’?”
EB: “Yeah.”
ML: “FBI?”
Laslo laughs as Burlison’s eyes flash.
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ML: “Have a good one.”
Burlison starts heading into the Longworth House Office Building.
EB: “Alright, take care, appreciate it.”
Laslo heads back to the Capitol.
