Who?
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Armed Services & Intelligence Committees
LISTEN: Laslo & Rounds
Ask a Pol asks:
Have you talked to any whistleblowers who’ve claimed to see recovered craft?
Key Rounds:
“I’ve talked to individuals who have seen materials that they were analyzing,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol UAPs, “but they did not know what it was from.”
Have you asked to go see that yourself?
“No,” Rounds says. “Where would I go to ask?”
You’re a senator, you get to do what you want…
Lockheed Martin?
“A lot of it, I suspect, is part of stealth materials that have been developed by different organizations within the federal government,” Rounds says.
Lockheed Martin has come up recently — that they might have some of this technology?
“Well, they have stealth technology, just like some others do,” Rounds says. “Look, I just simply don’t know.”
ICYMI: SCOOP — Rounds & Burlison in UAPDA talks
Caught our ear:
“People say ‘what about, you know, UAPs and so forth,’ I say ‘I don’t know,’ but I would be foolish to say that they don't exist because I don’t know,” Rounds tells us.
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 (7-15-2025)
Scene: Sen. Mike Rounds and Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch are stuck for a few minutes on the same broke down robotic, condcutorless underground Senate tram as Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo.
Once the trams start rolling again, Laslo darts out of the last car and greets Rounds and Risch as they exit the first car.
Matt Laslo: “I thought we were gonna be stuck on there forever because of you two.”
Sens. Mike Rounds & Jim Risch: “No.”
Laslo laughs.
Risch: “We blamed it on you.”
Rounds: “Yeah, we knew it.”
Laslo: “Fair, fair.”
Rounds: “We knew it.”
Risch: “I was told it was you that did it.”
Laslo: “It is always the press’ fault.”
Laslo laughs.
Rounds: “…put your hand in and stopped it, right?”
Rounds laughs.
ML: “Have you…?”
Laslo and Rounds start heading towards the Capitol.
ML: “There’s been some questions raised about you…”
MR: “Uh oh.”
ML: “…since your interview with Mr…”
Laslo gets out of the way to let a senator hop on the escalator first.
ML: “…Ross Coulthart down in Australia. What do you know about the advanced drone program?”
ICYMI — Ross Coulthart’s NewsNation exclusive w/ Rounds
MR: “The advanced drone program?”
ML: “Yeah.”
MR: “Not heard of it referred to in that category.”*
*this question comes from an Ask a Pol subscriber. Keep the questions coming!!!
ICYMI: DARPA to demonstrate revolutionary drone capabilities for warfighters
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT*
ML: “I know there’s different fancy names for it, but that’s Washington speak.”
MR: “I don’t know what…”
ML: “Have you talked to any whistleblowers who’ve seen or claimed to see recovered craft?”
MR: “I’ve talked to individuals who have seen materials that they were analyzing, but they did not know what it was from.”
ML: “Have you asked to go see that yourself?”
MR: “No.”
ML: “Why not? Not believable? Or…?”
MR: “Where would I go to ask?”
ML: “You’re a senator, you get to do what you want.”
Senators Only elevator arrives.
MR: “But the question is, who would have it? And, you know, a lot of it’s been years back.”
Rounds and Laslo enter elevator.
MR: “And a lot of it, I suspect, is part of stealth materials that have been developed by different organizations within the federal government.”
ML: “Yeah? Well some folks — like, Lockheed Martin keeps coming up in talks…”
MR: “Ahuh.”
ML: “…that Lockheed might have some of this technology?”
MR: “Well, they have stealth technology, just like some others do. But, I don't — look, I just simply don’t know.”
ML: “Yeah.”
MR: “And people say ‘what about, you know, UAPs and so forth,’ I say ‘I don’t know,’ but I would be foolish to say that they don't exist because I don’t know.”
They exit elevator on 2nd floor of Capitol.
ML: “Yeah.”
Rounds heads towards Senate floor to vote.
Reporter: “Senator Rounds I have a public radio station question…”
ML: “Fair Fair.”
Rounds turns towards other reporter.
MR: “What?”
Reporter: “Would making changes to the rescissions bill…”
Candace Taggart contributed to this report.
