Who?
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) — Chair, Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets
LISTEN: Laslo & Luna
Ask a Pol asks:
You said the public UAP hearing’s postponed until after August?
Key Luna:
“Yeah,” Secrets Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna explains to Ask a Pol. “We asked multiple people, and they weren’t willing to testify. They said, ‘we either didn’t want to be the only one,’ ‘we were worried about our safety,’ etc.”
whistleblower protection?
Any way to create infrastructure where whistleblowers feel protected?
“Oh, I think that it’s gonna be more on legislation that we can push,” Luna says. “There’s still ways people can be messed with, whether it’s their clearances…”
Caught our ear:
“We’re gonna have a hearing,” Luna tells us, “but we wanna bring people who have firsthand knowledge and/or direct evidence, not second or third hand knowledge.”
Huh?
“But yeah, it’s kinda frustrating, because obviously we’ve been pushing hard for it, but it’s like, we open a SCIF, they don’t want to come testify…”
Below find two rough transcripts of Ask a Pol’s interviews with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), slightly edited for clarity.
SCENE: Secrets Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna’s holding her toddler on the Capitol steps when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo approaches…
…before Rep. Tim Burchett interjects, showing off the skateboard he made for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard…
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (7-15-2025)
Matt Laslo: “How are you?”
Anna Paulina Luna: “I just put out a statement, they postponed the date, because we couldn’t get people to testify…”
Laslo’s perplexed.
APL: “…and we have another SCIF hearing, because the same people we wanted to get into a SCIF got ‘SCIF Flu.’”
Laslo laughs.
APL: “So we’re now opening it up to them for when they’re ready and available, at their convenience to come testify to us in a SCIF...”
ML: “But no date on that yet?”
APL: “Well, it’s gonna be up to their convenience.”
ML: “Yeah?”
APL: “And then we’ll also ask them as soon as they’re ready…”
Tim Burchett: “Luna!”
APL: “…on umm…”
Luna’s trying not to make eye contact with Burchett til she wraps with Ask a Pol.
APL: “…hold on Burchett…”
Burchett: “Luna!”
APL: “…as soon as we get someone who’s willing to testify, we’ll…”
Luna turns towards Burchett.
APL: “Hey Burchett!”
Steel security barrier creeks open.
Burchett rides a skateboard.
ML: “Nice.”
Laslo laughs.
ML: “So…”
APL: “You bring my skateboard?”
Luna laughs.
Burchett: “Not yet.”
APL: “No?”
Luna laughs.
Burchett: “This one’s Tulsi Gabbard’s….”
Laslo gets out of a lawmaker’s way who’s entering Members Only, upper portion of the House steps.
ML: “Pardon me.”
APL: “It’s Tulsi’s?”
ML: “But you said the public hearing’s postponed until after August?”
APL: “Yeah. We asked multiple people, and they weren’t willing to testify.”
ML: “Oh really?”
APL: “They said, we either didn’t want to be the only one, we were worried about our safety, etcetera.”
ML: “Huh?”
APL: “So, we’re gonna have a hearing, but we wanna bring people who have firsthand knowledge and/or direct evidence…”
ML: “Interesting.”
APL: “…not second or third hand knowledge.”
ML: “Huh?”
APL: “But yeah, it’s kinda frustrating, because obviously we’ve been pushing hard for it. But it’s like, we open a SCIF, they don’t want to come testify…”
ML: “Yeah?”
APL: “We have hearing dates, they don’t want to come testify… …”
ML: “Have you talked — like, cause the whole reason AARO was created was to be a safe place for whistleblowers…”
APL: “I — you know how I feel about AARO.”
ML: “Well, I know, but like…”
APL: “I think AARO should be cut. I think that they’re a joke.”
ML: “Yeah?”
APL: “Yeah.”
ML: “But is there any way to, like, create an infrastructure where whistleblowers feel protected?”
APL: “Oh, I think that it’s gonna be more on legislation that we can push…”
ML: “Yeah?”
APL: “…because there’s still ways people can be messed with, whether it’s their clearances…”
ML: “Yeah? Is Secrets Task Force, are you guys still planning on investigating the Epstein stuff?”
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Early preview of Epstein feature Laslo’s dropping Wednesday… Our secret. Wrlcome to the club.
APL: “…”
