Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Newsmax that Tuesday’s House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena was a crucial step in providing transparency for Americans and protecting whistleblowers who come forward with testimony.
Luna, who chairs the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets that convened the hearing titled “Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection,” told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” that the bipartisan interest in UAPs underscores the seriousness of the issue.
“First of all, there needs to be definitely stronger legislation to protect whistleblowers,” Luna said. “Every single one of these people have had either stories or we have actually stated in our opening statement that we’ve heard from multiple military personnel that they simply are not given the protections that are needed by Congress.”
The hearing featured testimony from Jeffrey Nuccetelli, an Air Force veteran and former military police officer who described witnessing a massive triangular craft over a secure military site, as well as investigative journalist George Knapp, who presented Soviet-era documents on UAP programs smuggled out of Russia after the Cold War.
Luna said such accounts raise questions about why Congress is being denied access to classified information.
“We have one of the biggest, most bipartisan, bicameral missions here to uncover and discuss this topic,” she said, noting that more than 37 government employees, military personnel, and intelligence officials have recently come forward.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., also released previously unseen footage, including an October 2024 video of an orb-like object that appeared to deflect a Hellfire missile fired by an MQ-9 drone off the coast of Yemen.
“I don’t know anything that exists in our arsenal that can split a Hellfire missile like this,” Luna said. “And frankly the witnesses and many members of Congress also believe that too.”
She added that although lawmakers must guard against misinformation, the weight of testimony and documents from credible witnesses demands further investigation.
“My goal and objective is to provide transparency for the American people,” Luna said. “They have these questions and we’re going to help them get answers.”
The hearing follows increased public and congressional scrutiny of UAPs since the Pentagon acknowledged unexplained aerial encounters in a 2021 report. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pressed for greater disclosure and accountability from defense and intelligence agencies.
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