Who?
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) — Co-chair, Congressional UAP Caucus; Member, Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets
LISTEN: Laslo & Burchett
Ask a Pol asks:
What's your takeaway from last week’s public UAP hearing in the US House of Representatives? What are the questions Congress should chase down next?
Key Burchett:
“I thought it went okay,” Rep. Tim Burchett exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Where is the stuff? Where is it? And why do we not have total disclosure? And why do we not have whistleblower protection? Those two things we’ve gotta have.”
ICYMI — Ask a Pol’s on YouTube, TikTok & Instagram!
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Caught our ear:
What do you think about the notion of the Pentagon hiding its secrets within military contractors?
“Oh, it's 100% what they do. They pass it on, and we can't FOIA it because it's just outside of our purview. And that's exactly what they do,” Burchett tells us.
“And the problem with that is, it's generational to the point of this stuff that they've got is — so they don't even know what they're looking at. The people that are looking at it don't know. They just know it's some unknown something. They don't know if it's Russian, they don't know if it's Chinese or from Mars — or maybe the moons of Saturn.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Tim Burchett (9-15-2025)
SCENE: The suns setting after Monday evening’s first votes of the week in the US House of Representatives, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) holds court on the US Capitol’s steps, answering questions from a gaggle of reporters.
Once he’s done with the congressional press corps, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo proceeds to walk with the congressman as he crosses the street and then heads a couple blocks over for a private meeting…
Matt Laslo: "What's your takeaway from that UAP hearing?"
Burchett’s answering staff texts on his phone.
Tim Burchett: “Uh, I thought it went okay.”
ML: "What are the questions you think Congress should go after next?"
TB: “Where is the stuff?”
A massive steal security barrier screeches open on Capitol grounds.
TB: “Where is it? And why do we not have total disclosure? And why do we not have whistleblower protection? Those two things...”
ML: “Yeah?”
TB: “…we’ve gotta have. Until we get to the next level, we can still have hearings because people are just talking about it.”
Burchett still on phone answering staff texts.
ML: “Well because especially what y'all heard on military contractors, it seemed like there was broad agreement that they might be sitting on these secrets as a part of their mandate from the executive branch. How do you guys dislodge that if it's — if they've signed contracts with the federal government that they don't discuss this with members of Congress?”
TB: “Run that by me again.”
ML: “It’s…”
TB: “What you just said, I'm sorry.”
ML: “Yeah.”
TB: “I just lost it in my head. Go ahead.”
ML: “At least with at least with [journalist and witness] George Knapp, he's very convinced that military contractors — Lockheed [Martin], BAE [Systems], others — have signed contracts with the federal government mandating they keep it from Congress.”
ICYMI — “This one is dedicated to the suit wearing arms dealers, to the champagne sipping depleted uranium droppers…”
TB: “Right.”
ML: “So you think you'll have to statutorily change that?”
TB: “Probably. I, I don't know, man.”
OOF: Ask a Pol paid subscribers in the 119th Congress…
ML: "But just what do you think of the idea?”
TB: “We’ve passed stuff and nobody enforces it.”
ML: “Fair. What do you think about the notion of the Pentagon hiding its secrets within military contractors?"
TB: “Oh, it's 100% what they do. They pass it on, and we can't FOIA it because it's just outside of our purview. And that's exactly what they do. And the problem with that is it's generational..."
ML: “Yeah?"
TB: “..to the point of this stuff that they've got is so — they don't even know what they're looking at. The people that are looking at it don't know. They just know it's some unknown something. They don't know if it's Russian, they don't know if it's Chinese or from Mars.”
ML: “Yeah? Has there been talk about…?”
TB: “And it’s just a — or maybe the moons of Saturn…”
ML: “Yeah?”
Laslo chuckles.
ML: “But so right now there doesn't seem to be…”
TB: “I’ve got a whole theory on this thing. I've kind of evolved.”
ML: “Yeah?"
TB: “Maybe devolved, I don't know. But, you know, these deep water areas that we hear so much about.”
ML: “Yeah?"
TB: “What if these are entities that are here on this earth that have been on this earth for who knows how long and that that we, you know, we think they're coming in from way out — maybe they did millennial ago — but they're here…”
ML: “Huh?”
TB: “…and they're in these deep water areas, and that's why I mean — like, we say we know more about the face of the moon than we do what's what's going on there. And we have a higher propensity of sightings around these five or six, I believe, deep area, deep water areas, and so to me, it just um, it creates a question there. And then when we have naval personnel telling me that we have these sightings and that these, there's these underwater craft they're chasing that are doing 100s of miles an hour, and the best we've got is something that does maybe just a little under 40 miles per hour. So I got a lot of questions about that stuff and I, I mean, I might not ever know it on this side of eternity, but to me that that that begs a bigger question…”
ML: “Luna…”
TB: “…that maybe we should follow up with some of our Navy folks that have had these sightings.”
ML: “Luna's got similar questions. Yeah, why not do an underwater hearing?”
TB: “Why are these these sightings — these, um, tic tacs — why are they over the ocean and not over a major city, you know, where there's lights and something that they would say, ‘hey that’s…’ — instead of just a flat ocean or a wavy ocean. But you get it. You know what I'm talking about.”
ML: “Huh. Interesting. Do you — so where do you think you all go next? Or is that premature? Y'all are just glad to get one hearing?”
TB: “Yeah, I hope we…”
A lady approaches on sidewalk.
Lady: “Hey Tim.”
TB: “I think we're going to start asking…”
Burchett greats a lady.
TB: “Hey, beautiful.”
Lady: “Hello!”
TB: “How are you, ma'am?”
Lady: “I'm good. How are you?”
TB: “Give me some.”
They do high five.
Lady: “You too.”
TB: “Um. I hope we start asking some of the a, these contractors. I just I would love to, and maybe DOD* at some point.”
*DOD has been renamed the Department of War.
ML: “Yeah? Interesting.”
They arrive where Burchett’s heading for his private meeting.
TB: “Okay, brother.”
ML: “Preciate ya.”
TB: “You’re my friend.”
ML: “Good to see ya.”
TB: [inaudible]
ML: “Yes, sir. Have a good one.”
