UAP hearing sees reveal of new video, powerful witness testimony

In an interview with NewsNation’s Joe Khalil after Tuesday’s hearing, journalist George Knapp said he found the newly released video appearing to show a missile bounce off a UAP “”pretty spectacular.”

“Somebody had to leak that and put it out and put it in the right hands,” he said, calling the technology interesting, “whatever the hell it is.”

Read more: Whistleblower testifies triangle craft interfered with phone

Knapp also discussed Thread-3, which he described as a “big Russian UFO program” that attempted to recreate the technology flying overhead during the Cold War.

“It leads me to believe that we would learn more from the Russians about what our American government knows about UFOs than we’d ever learn from the American government itself.”

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., walked NewsNation’s Joe Khalil through video footage taken Oct. 30, 2024, which allegedly shows a UAP surviving a Hellfire missile.

Burlison acknowledged he’s not a forensic video expert, but said he has asked for an explanation from the Department of Defense and has not yet heard back.

During the hearing, Rep. Burlison alleged that congressional staff have repeatedly blocked attempts to legislate disclosure.

“What the hell is going on when unelected people are making decisions on Congress’ right to do what it is constitutionally mandated to do?” Coulthart asked.

Coulthart added that he believes it’s time for anonymous staffers to be “named and shamed” and, if necessary, “charged with criminal contempt by Congress.”

The hearing wrapped up after nearly three hours, and Coulthart said he felt the testimony and discussion around UAPs was “terrific.”

“Not least because there were, amongst some nonsense, some really good questions asked,” he added.

He pointed to Rep. Luna’s call to subpoena Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office: “It’s time.”

When prompted to react to the never-before-seen video shared by Rep. Burlison, Coulthart called the footage “a profound video.”

Coulthart — along with a majority of the witnesses — said the video is concerning.

Watch it:

Questioned whether he believes the government will ever fully disclose UAP knowledge, journalist George Knapp said he doubts it’ll ever happen.

“The secret’s out. I mean, how many videos have there been already? … It’s out there. But they have the high ground — the people who don’t want us to take it seriously dismiss it, discredit the witnesses, come up with a cover story,” Knapp said.

He added that witnesses and the public can sense UAPs are real, but “the people in authority dismiss them. It’s a game that’s been going on a long time.”

Rep. Luna suggested she would subpoena Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, whom she earlier in the hearing called a “liar.”

As Luna discussed the authority to issue subpoenas and whether she would, Coulthart exclaimed: “Yes!”

UAP journalist George Knapp shared his decades-long investigation into UAPs, including interviews with Bob Lazar and Nevada officials. He detailed the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, the largest government-funded UFO program, and confirmed the U.S.S.R. also secretly studied UAPs.

“These things are real, they’re not fictitious,” Knapp said.

He said documents from military and intelligence personnel reveal “they outperform any aircraft known to exist, including ours.”

Rep. Burlison shared a new video taken Oct. 30, 2024, off the coast of Yemen showing an MQ-9 drone launch a hellfire missile at an “orb.”

The missile appears to bounce off the object, journalist George Knapp observed: “And it kept going.”

“What the hell is that?” he added.

Coulthart reacted to the video with shock: “This is new, this is big … the best technology of the U.S. doesn’t work against whatever that was.”

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who recently hired whistleblower David Grusch, said congressional staff have repeatedly blocked attempts to highlight disclosure.

“Just last night, I tried to get an amendment onto the National Defense Authorization Act that fit in the germaneness of that bill to have UAP disclosure,” he said, adding that it was deemed nongermane by staff.

“This is the kind of thing that we repeatedly see,” Burlison said.

Coulthart reacted to Crockett’s praise for the House subcommittee and its efforts, acknowledging that everyone was sharing noble sentiments, but said, “I just think we’ve called the wrong witnesses today, to be honest.”

Two years ago, some in Congress made accusations that defense contractors are keeping and reverse-engineering UAPs.

Journalist George Knapp’s testimony on Tuesday again brought those accusations to the forefront, specifically including those against Lockheed Martin.

In 2023, the company sent NewsNation the following statement: “Questions about UAPs are best addressed by the U.S. government.”

NewsNation has reached out again for comment following Tuesday’s hearing.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who serves as a ranking member in the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, said the subcommittee’s goal is bringing together both political parties.

“The reality is that we cause more harm than good when we allow a lack of transparency to fester,” Crockett said.

“For once, I feel like we are focusing on governing,” she added, praising the House subcommittee and Rep. Luna for their efforts toward transparency.

As Rep. Mace’s questioning ended — due to her five-minute time limit expiring, which she mentioned — Coulthart laughed.

“I just think we do need more time. This is annoying. It’s a dog and pony show because there’s just no time,” he said.

“Do you think any of this is a psyop by the U.S. government?” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., asked journalist George Knapp.

Psychological operations are a military tactic used to influence others to achieve national goals.

“Entirely possible,” Knapp answered. “Our government and other governments have admitted that they’ve tried to use UFOs to cover secret projects.” He added that they tend to do some “reverse engineering” when it comes to news coverage.

Following his opening statement, Rep. Luna asked Air Force veteran Dylan Borland to recount his experience on Langley Air Force Base in 2012 in more detail.

Borland described seeing what he thought was a weather balloon while on a cigarette break one night. While taking a walk toward the unidentified light, Borland said he saw the light fly across the base and a triangle “manifest around the light.”

He said his phone overheated and died as he took in the strange phenomenon.

“It was between one to two stories thick … I could never see the top of it,” he added.

Joe Spielberger, policy counsel for the Project on Government Oversight, emphasized the importance of whistleblowers during his opening statement.

“It is understandable that past presidents of both parties have often taken a hostile approach toward whistleblowers: Their disclosures can embarrass the president and their political party, or even lead to a national scandal,” Spielberger said.

He said POGO suggests Congress:

• Establish an “independent mechanism” for whistleblowers to make disclosures.
• Work to overturn Navy v. Egan, which granted broad presidential authority over national security.
• Amend the Pentagon’s burden of proof standard for military whistleblowers.
• Allow whistleblowers to file retaliation claims directly in court.

Following Borland’s remarks, Rep. Luna thanked him for his service as hearing attendees continued clapping.

Coulthart called Borland’s delivery “very strong.”

Tuesday’s hearing was the first time Borland publicly shared his experience.

“The truth needs to be known,” Air Force veteran Dylan Borland told members of Congress on Tuesday at a hearing on UAP, as he testified for the first time publicly that he became a whistleblower after facing retaliation, medical malpractice and workplace harassment.

Borland testified about the damage done to his career after he came forward about “experience with craft and technologies” that don’t belong to the U.S.

“I am a federal whistleblower, having testified to both the Intelligence Community Inspector General and All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office,” he said.

Borland worked at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia from 2011 to 2013, conducting 24/7 operations, when he encountered a 100-foot triangle flying near the base.

“This craft interfered with my telephone, did not have any sound, and the material it was made of appeared fluid or dynamic,” he said.

Dduring his opening statement, journalist George Knapp dove into his decades of reporting on UAPs and UFOs, which he said he doesn’t “believe.”

“Belief has nothing to do with it. To me, it is — and always has been — a news story, and an important one, likely the biggest story I will ever cover,” Knapp said.

He asserted that crash retrieval programs and reverse engineering programs are real, specifically pointing to Russia in the ’90s.

Alexandro Wiggins, a senior chief operations specialist in the U.S. Navy, testified in his “personal capacity” about UAPs regarding an incident on Feb. 15, 2023.

Wiggins said he spotted a “self-luminous tic-tac shaped object” while aboard the USS Jackson.

The object emerged from the ocean, linked with three similar objects, then left.

“My request to you is practical: Help us capture, protect, fairly evaluate the evidence and provide a safe pathway for those in uniform to report it,” Wiggins said.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., and staffer David Grusch — a UFO whistleblower — were spotted by NewsNation’s Joe Khalil prior to the hearing.

Former military police officer Jeffrey Nuccetelli detailed five alleged UAP incidents at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is home to the National Missile Defense Project.

“Six other service members have provided me with the information that I share today,” he said.

Nuccetelli said the incidents began on Oct. 14, 2003, when a red square hovered over two missile defense sites. Another incident occurred just a week later, when patrol noted a strange light over the ocean, and again in 2005. He also described a personal encounter in his backyard.

He called on Congress to fund independent research into UAPs, end “overclassification” of witness accounts and protect whistleblowers, who he said stay silent out of fear.

“The question is no longer whether these events are real — but whether we have the courage to face them,” he said.

“That’s a strong statement from Jeff Nuccetelli,” Coulthart said as he concluded.

The hearing’s witnesses — including journalist George Knapp, U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexandro Wiggins, U.S. Air Force veteran Dylan Borland, former military police officer Jeffrey Nuccetelli and Joe Spielberger, a policy counsel for the Project on Government Oversight — swore under oath before their testimony.

“It’s significant this is under oath,” Coulthart said.

Each witness is allotted five minutes for their testimony.

UFOs and UAPs have become common acronyms in news headlines as members of Congress have called for more transparency on what the government knows — and doesn’t know — about unidentified anomalous phenomena, previously the subjects of conspiracy theories and grainy images.

“UFOs,” or “unidentified flying objects,” have captured the nation’s imagination since the late 1940s and have been the source of conspiracies and theories about extraterrestrial life outside Earth.

“UAPs” or “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” are used to describe unexplainable sights in the sky, not just unidentified flying objects.

While still a fairly new term, UAP has become more popular among officials, studies and investigations when discussing sensitive information regarding potential UFO/UAP sightings.

NewsNation’s Devan Markham contributed to this post.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., chairperson of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, called for further disclosure to the public during her opening statements.

“It is our duty as elected representatives to follow the facts wherever they lead and to ensure that those facts are not buried under classification stamps or bureaucratic excuses,” Luna said.

Coulthart praised Luna’s statement, calling it a “strong opener” for the hearing.

Read more: Luna says UAP hearing will have historic implications