It’s unclear what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s thoughts are on UFO whistleblower David Grusch—but it’s clear his new bipartisan UAP measure isn’t in relation to the former US intelligence official.
“This feels a little bit more general?”
“It is,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) tells Ask a Pol.
While Gillibrand’s continuing her investigation into Grusch (don’t miss our full new interview with Gillibrand here!), she says this is different.
Gillibrand, Schumer and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) have teamed up with three of their Republican colleagues on a new UAP amendment they hope to attach to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (or NDAA). Gillibrand says it’s a transparency measure.
“It's not the same work we're doing in the Armed Services Committee,” Gillibrand says. “But this is a good measure that very much dovetails with the work that we do with both Intel. and Department of Defense.”
One of the amendment’s Republican sponsors, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Marco Rubio, told Ask a Pol he’s taking Grusch’s claims seriously, but the other two Republican sponsors barely seem to know of Grusch or his claims.
“Who?” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) replied to Ask a Pol when asked about Grusch last Thursday, July 13 — the eve of their new UAP amendment being publicly released (FULL Rounds Interview here).
“I’m aware of them,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) replied when Ask a Pol inquired about Grusch’s claims at the Capitol tonight. “I haven’t studied them.”
While Rounds and Young aren’t familiar with Grusch’s allegations, their end goal is the same as Gillibrand’s.
“This is to make sure the American people have access to everything they should have access to, so they can make up their own minds on all kinds of things,” Young says. “We have long over classified information through our intelligence agencies and DOD—I'm not the first person to bring this topic up—and we have a responsibility to change that if possible.”
Matt Laslo is a veteran congressional correspondent and founder of Ask a Pol—a people-powered press corps. Find him on most social media @MattLaslo.
We’re @Ask_a_Pol or @askpols on Insta.
*Sound in background of Young audio: Slam of car door that drops Young off in Senate Carriage Entrance (main entrance to Senate side of Capitol—where horses used to drop senators off, hence name and vintage yellow stop sign as pictured). Laslo starts talking to Young as he’s walking up the steps and into the Capitol.
Young—like all lawmakers—doesn’t have to go through security, but Laslo—like all reporters—does, hence Young sounds distant as Laslo places his running microphone—the louder thud—on the table next to the metal detector along with each piece of metal he emptied from his pockets while walking up the steps with Young.
The lack of beeps or officers saying a thing is cause Laslo’s called the Capitol his office since 2006 (and he interviewed 15 senators in similar fashion at Tuesday’s sole Senate vote series).
It then gets quiet, as Young brings Laslo and Ask a Pol subscribers along on his elevator ride up to the Senate floor.
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