Why Rep. Eric Burlison Believes Key UAP Evidence Remains Hidden | Reality Check

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Full auto-transcript: We sat down with Congressman Eric Berles. He's really been on the front lines of this UAP issue here in Congress. And we asked him about a whole range of things about some videos that he has seen recently of the phenomenon that he wants the public to see and is pushing for that to be released. We also talked to him about certain people that he has gotten into classified settings and had conversations with them about the topic and he to the extent he could uh briefed us on that. And lastly, we talked about questions of religion and morality when it comes to disclosure. Tricky topics. Here's our full discussion. >> Uh so there's been a lot happening on the disclosure front. Uh not as much as you'd like to be happening though. you put out a message on social media talking about some roadblocks that you've been hitting. And I was wondering if you could just start by elaborating on what you're facing, what you're trying to get, why so far you haven't been able to get access. I think that, you know, and I was very grateful that the president issued the the truth, if you will, and I've seen some momentum happen within the intelligence agency, within ODNI. There seems to be a new level of of momentum and energy put around this. I would say it went from being a low ranking item to one of the top top priorities which is fantastic. Um the I think that the things that have been released so far are the lowhanging fruit. These are things that a lot of them have already been like leaked to the public before. >> Um many of them are videos that there's been a lot of chatter about but have been already disproven as prosaic whether it's like a balloon or a bird or a flock of birds. Yeah. >> Um, but at the end of the day, it's that I think it's a good start. I think that this administration understands that they need to go further. They need to really dig. And in order to do that, it you're going to have to take the investigation to the next step, which is uh bringing people in u under oath. you're, you know, people that that have knowledge or claim to have knowledge, find out exactly what they know and and and um what where the where the craft are, where the bodies are, if you will. >> Um and then and get that information. And the other thing that you're going to have to do is go to the privates because I think a lot of this has been in the hands of the whether it's the private businesses or the federally funded research development centers that are kind of working in a quasi public private fashion. >> Yeah. >> Um and so that's where my investigation that's where my team and all of our work effort is going is focusing on trying to get the the information out of the hands of those privates. So let's talk about that because that's a totally different challenge, right? This is not something that as a member of Congress you can go and say, "Hey, I'm an elected official. Let me in like you can for many federal buildings and and programs, right?" Um this is not something you can foyer, Freedom of Information Act. So how do you try to get private entities to cooperate with you on this kind of investigation? So we've sent well we we first we've got people on the inside that have given us information about particular documents video files or other that we that that they say exists >> in these um whether it's MIT Lincoln Labs Rand MITER um you name it we're we're go we're going after it if they but we we follow up on people giving us information. So hopefully somebody's watching this who works in one of these private companies um or fedally funded research development centers and and saying, "Aha, I know who to reach out to to to let him know about about more files." But that's we follow those leads. We send letters that are very specific that are nearly impossible for them to get out of and um and request it. And so far, they've been very cooperative. So, we've had um aerospace corporation executives come to talk to us in a skiff. We've had um we we've had Lincoln Labs, MIT Lincoln Labs respond um already. There's probably more that they're going to that that there's more to go with that. And so, yeah, and we've got a letter back from MITER that they that they will their legal team said that they will be working to respond to it. >> Wow. So, do you have better luck with individuals than with the company? I mean, MITER seems to be somewhat cooperating, but when you get those individuals, you're having more luck in terms of getting information from them. >> Well, the people that are coming to us behind the scenes, absolutely. They're they're getting us information, and it turns out the one when it came to MIT Lincoln Labs was was spot on. They're they do have a video file that um we're going to try to get access to. So, um, without breaking the law essentially and and revealing what you learned in a skiff, um, can you just characterize what are what are the categories of things that you're seeking when you get into a skiff with somebody who's working for one of these companies? Um, and and what what can they give you? What kinds of things? >> Yeah. The really I want to know the nuts and bolts. I'm at a place where I'm We've heard a lot of really outrageous stories and testimonies from people. Um, but I want to see the receipts. I really am am trying to track down the materials and and anything that's physical or or photographic or video evidence that is that we can um that we can get our hands on. >> Okay. I want to go back to the White House for a minute. there was this release of videos and files and I think for people who were not super familiar with the topic uh that was maybe the first time that they' seen in depth um anything you know on the phenomenon for us who've been sort of in this world now for a couple years um I think your point is right it wasn't exactly groundbreaking stuff some of it we already knew some of it was public um do you think we're close to the White House releasing videos, pictures, more documents that would be more groundbreaking that sort of holy blank moment where it is an undeniable thing that this phenomenon is uh real and that you know >> decades and decades worth of knowledge has been known about it that hasn't been public. >> So I don't know is the answer. Um, I have seen video footage and photos of things that I think would take it to the next level, but it's not definitive. So, and I'll and I'll just describe them. Mo most of what has not been released >> that to me is is the really mysterious thing are the glowing orbs like these pla balls of plasma that seem to move in an intelligent way. In some cases, they're static. They won't. They just hover without any noticeable signs of aerodynamics or like propellers. They just sit still and in some cases they can like immediately accelerate. And I think that so I've seen the video footage of that and I hope that I'm confident that that will be released and if it's not I will be I will be throwing a fit um about it. >> But that that will be kind of that will be eye opening for some people. But it's not definitive. When I see those videos, I can't tell you this is this is clearly from another planet. >> Right. We don't know what it is, but >> but we know it's something that we've never seen. >> Yeah. >> Before. >> So, is that the Pentagon's call right now? Who is the door right now that is is is keeping it closed? Who's at that door? >> I you know, that would probably fall under OD and I under under their direction of whether or not they're ready to release those. And why in your estimation have they not released stuff like that that again you as a member of Congress have >> said guys this is a game changer. >> I think I'm only speculating but I think because if you saw these videos you would know you people could probably pick pick determine the location. >> Okay. >> And some of these are in residential communities and you would see I I would I would hate to have like my my neighborhood blown up by people who are coming in to Skywatch. Okay, understandable. I imagine there could be ways to maybe get around that stuff and maybe that's an ongoing discussion. >> Um, I did want to talk about life imitating art for a minute and we have this big movie coming up, Stephen Spielberg on disclosure. >> Yeah. Um the movie I think focuses in some part on the government trying to prepare people for right >> a revelation like this and what are what are the effects what are the the impacts on just the public knowing this stuff >> right >> um I'm wondering >> are those conversations real are they happening are have you been in discussion with people about what is the what is the impact on the public if we release information like that, >> you know, ironically, yes. Um, I was, in fact, it was a big blow up on the internet on Twitter >> that I called into a conference of pastors that were meeting in Tennessee. >> I I'd been invited to that event. I couldn't come. Um, but I but I said, you know, I'm happy to call in. I wasn't I didn't participate in the conversation. Um, but but the reason I was calling in is to say, look, at the end of the day, I'm a believer. I'm a Christian. and everything that I the the longer I've been studying this, the more it actually it doesn't shake my faith. If anything, it underscores my faith. >> And and I and I just want people to kind of uh I said I challenge those pastors >> to >> stick to what the Bible really says and not what the Bible what you think the Bible says. >> Yeah. >> So, for example, the Bible does not say that Satan um has goat legs, a horn, you know, and a pitchfork. >> Yeah, >> it it you know, there's other descriptions, but but just stick to the factual information and don't go with what the medieval worldview is. >> And I think that we'll probably even if there's never aliens that arrive and never a point of disclosure that that will probably make all of us better better Christians and better believers. And so that that was my that was my conversation and I think that the so yes to your point there are communities that are that are that are understanding that they need to be prepared for this if there's you know more revelation to come forward. >> Yeah. >> Um have you been in touch with the filmmakers by chance? >> I have not. No. >> So I know the age of disclosure documentary they they were um you know certainly in touch with a lot of members of Congress. So I >> Yeah. And I kind of came in later. So I I came they I think they filmed that before I got into Congress. >> Um obviously I've I got in and quickly hit the hit the ground running on this topic, but I'm not in that movie, >> but I have been in a lot of conversations with Dan Farah. He I think he he produced a great movie and and I am excited to see the Stephen Spielberg movie coming coming out. And I I understand that he he sees it. I saw an interview where he almost said that while it's a movie, it's a fictional story to him it's it's based on as much non-fiction as possible. >> Yeah. Yeah. Saw that too. Very interesting. You know, just one more question before we go. Um there is this sort of morality question that you touched on a lot here in your previous answer. Um, I just wonder what you make big picture of the idea that there are things that are in our airspace. Um, can't definitively say what they are, but we can definitively say we don't know how they operate. Our laws of physics don't seem to apply. And one reason the government has for years held on to that information is because of fear of how people would react to that. Whether it's religious communities or or other, you know, maybe it's a shaking shaking people's faith in the idea that the US government can protect them, >> right, >> from certain threats. What do you make of the the just the government even weighing that at all as a reason not to disclose? I think that they weigh that, but I think that it's actually the opposite. I what the more that I've looked into this, the more I think that the that this government does not want to reveal the the fact that they have a weakness. They don't want to demonstrate that they that they don't know what's going on. >> And sorry, when you say this government, we're obviously not just talking about the Trump administration, but several administrations going back decades, >> right? Like you don't want to telegraph to its own citizens that we're incapable of defending our airspace above our own military bases. >> That we're incapable. We do not have the scientific knowledge or understanding of what it is that we're experiencing and what we're seeing. >> Because you could be giving up the bag to you be, you know, giving it up to your adversaries if this is what your adversaries are doing that you don't know what's happening. or you're giving it up to your own citizens that we're that we aren't as strong as you think we are. And I think that that's that is the motivation probably more so than anything why this has not been disclosed. >> Okay. And you talked about the video that you're pursuing right now, the orbs. If there is one thing, one question you could have answered, one piece of information that is sort of missing that for you would be a gamecher um that you think is out there, what would it be? Like what would the one thing be right now? If you could have it in your hands, what would it be? >> Well, I mean the a lot of the people that have talked about the the interacting with these eggshaped craft that we have in our possession. I want to see the craft. >> Um we've heard people that have claimed that they've gone into it and they've lost time. I want I want to go into the craft. I want to see for myself. Again, I'm from Missouri. You're going to have to show me. And so that's that's um until I get to that point, everything is going to be blurry videos. >> Okay, I will give you the final word. I'm all out of my questions for now. Um I'll have many more days to come, but final word, you can wrap it up uh with this. >> Yeah, I just think that at the end of the day, this is a fascinating topic. Um and it's the the more that we recognize that this is a national security threat, the better. I'm glad to see that this administration has recognized that it is a threat. >> Um I would I would point everyone to the two documents. There's been one document that was released in the first batch and then a second document that's similar that are the the accounts of individuals that were on site at one of our military installations that had an experience with these orbs. >> And and to me I got that briefing by those individuals who had been there >> shortly after the event happened. And that to me is something I would point everyone to. I think th that that evidence is much more important than some of the videos that >> Yeah, that was a fascinating one. I know the document you're talking about. I think it's that kind of thing that makes people in this building who used to laugh at this topic now all of a sudden take it seriously when they see from national security folks who are experiencing. >> Yeah. In fact, today at the so at the baseball practice, I had one member kind of snicker about, you know, to me about the UFO thing or about aliens. And I said and I said, "Have you had that have you had the briefing? Have you had the briefing that that me and and leader Scaliz and others have had? I I would recommend that you have that briefing before you you turn, you know, because you'll walk away from that briefing not knowing that this is not comical anymore." >> Yeah. Thank you, Congressman. Thank you. >> Really appreciate it as always. Thank Thank you.