In the complex world of UFO sightings and theories, high-profile whistleblower David Grusch has made a series of astonishing claims. Are we truly alone in the universe, or is there more to this story than meets the eye? We’ve embarked on a comprehensive exploration of Grusch’s assertions, and the conclusions drawn may surprise you.
David Grusch is a retired high-ranking government official and a whistleblower alleging misconduct within the Pentagon.
What makes Grusch unique?
What makes Grusch exciting is the combination of two factors: (1) the claims he is making and (2) the evidence that surrounds these claims.
Some of the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE claims made by David Grusch:
(Note: We’ve provided footnotes that will take you straight to the citations for each claim Grusch has made.)
There is a non-human intelligence (NHI) that exists in this universe. 1
The U.S. Government knows about it, and has known for some time. 2
This NHI has visited, and is visiting, our planet. 3
The Pentagon is in possession of several of these NHI-made vehicles. 4
The Pentagon has also recovered the dead bodies of the vehicles’ pilots. 5
The Italian government and the Catholic Church have known about these craft since at least 1933. 8
Some of the NHI vehicles can be as large as a football stadium. 9
The NHI have killed humans and may in fact be malevolent. 10
Some peer adversaries of the United States have also recovered craft. All of them are trying to backward-engineer the technology that makes them work, as is the United States. 11
Recent Congressional attempts to obtain information about these programs have been undermined by rogue elements within the government. 6
Some of the members of these agencies have come forward to give Grusch detailed testimony, as well as photos and official documents, which detail the history of these programs and crafts. Grusch provided this information to Congress in 2022. 7
When Grusch told the head of AARO, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, about his findings, Dr. Kirkpatrick acted uninterested. Later, Dr. Kirkpatrick told Congress in a public hearing that AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, offworld technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics. 12
Direct evidence:
Clearly these are incredible claims which could have profound implications for humans as a species.
If humans are not the only sapient species in the universe, then there is a whole additional tech tree to explore. A whole different set of history and philosophy… New, wonderful kinds of entertainment… Materials and computer sciences could see a major leap. We might see disruptive energy technology and major medical breakthroughs.
Stencil
Or it could result in intergalactic conflict and the end of humanity. Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
So in my opinion, if what Grusch says is true, if we are not alone in this universe and there is proof – then there is nothing in this world that is more exciting than this.
But that is a big IF.
So what direct evidence has Grusch provided to help us accept his incredible claims?
Very little.
Unlike some other whistleblowers, Grusch is attempting to operate entirely within the bounds of the law. This means he is not currently revealing any classified information to the public and he even appears to be clearing what he says publicly with DOPSR (the Defense Office of Pre-Publication and Security Review). 13
DOPSR’s role is not to verify the truth of such information, but rather to grant permission to discuss certain topics with the general public without exposing certain state secrets. 14
Because he chose this approach, Grusch can only legally discuss certain DOPSR-approved topics and he cannot reveal the bulk of the details which he has given to Congress. 15
This puts us as researchers in an awkward situation.
Grusch cannot give us pictures. No documents. He cannot give us names. He can’t even reveal the transcripts of the numerous interviews he conducted as part of his investigation.
None of that can be revealed right now because all of it is classified.
What we do know is the information he is providing is entirely second-hand. Grusch has not seen the bodies or vehicles himself. He is relaying witness testimony, documents, and pictures that he received from those who do have the first-hand experience. But he isn’t giving that stuff to us.
All of that information is highly classified information, which Grusch has given to Congress. 7
So if we don’t have direct evidence, why should we trust that it is what Grusch says it is?
We’re going to have to look at the indirect evidence. And let me tell you – it makes quite a compelling argument.
Indirect Evidence
First, let’s briefly discuss some of Grusch’s credentials.
Grusch has served as an Intelligence Officer for over 14 years. He received awards for his combat service in Afghanistan, earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics, and earned a Master of Arts in Intelligence Studies. He also achieved a civilian GS-15 status, the highest pay grade for a civilian Federal employee, at the impressive age of 35. Most importantly, Grusch served on the Pentagon’s UAP Task Force for several years before he resigned.
A Tale of Three Inspector Generals
In July 2021, Grusch, who was working for the UAP Task Force at the time, provided information to the Department of Defense Inspector General concerning the illegal withholding of UAP-related information from Congress. 16
Soon after doing this, Grusch suffered retaliation at his job — the details of which are still being withheld as part of an ongoing investigation.
Grusch’s lawyer and former ICIG Charles McCullough III Source: ignet.gov
Grusch then retained attorney Charles McCullough III, a former Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG), to represent him in filing a statutory whistleblower complaint which was submitted to the current ICIG. 17
**That McCullough took on this case is kind of a big deal. The ICIG is a very prestigious position.**
McCullough filed Grusch’s complaint in May 2022. As part of the process, Grusch testified, under oath, to his knowledge of classified information being illegally withheld from Congress. 18
**Note that, at this point, if Grusch is caught lying, he will face jail time for lying under oath.**
By July 2022, the Intelligence Community Inspector General was ready to rule on the complaint.
The ICIG found Mr. Grusch’s assertion that information was inappropriately concealed from Congress to be urgent and credible in response to the filed disclosure. Compass Rose brought this matter to the ICIG’s attention through lawful channels and successfully defended Mr. Grusch against retaliation.
Press Release from Compass Rose Legal Group, PLLC – McCullough’s Law Firm
Mic. Drop.
So was Grusch retaliated against? Yes, of course. And he won that case.
But the more important information is that the ICIG found the assertion credible.
And what was the assertion?
“…that information was inappropriately concealed from Congress…”
That is the assertion that the ICIG ruled to be “urgent and credible“.
I cannot overstate how much clout it gives you when the ICIG rules your allegations as “urgent and credible.”
Putting it all together
To read between the lines, we have to remember that a lot of classified information is legally withheld from Congress. Congressmen do not have unlimited authority to access all classified documents.
It is the nature of the classified materials Grusch is referencing that makes it illegal to withhold these particular materials from Congress.
Congress established the UAP Task Force to uncover the truth behind UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon.) This Task Force was to be given access to everything the Pentagon and Intelligence Community has pertaining to UAPs. Everything.
To withhold that information? Well that would be illegal.
So because we know that:
a. The ICIG found Mr. Grusch’s assertion that information was inappropriately concealed from Congress to be urgent and credible,
b. Grusch worked for the UAP Task Force, and
c. Grusch says publicly the illegally withheld information is about UAPs…
We can reasonably conclude that this illegally withheld information is, in fact, about UAPs.
Imagine the counterfactual. Imagine that Grusch is lying about the nature of the information. That the ICIG actually approved his whistleblower complaint over an entirely different set of intelligence being illegally withheld. Intelligence which has nothing to do with UAPs.
If that were the case, then it would not only be David Grusch whose reputation would be deeply damaged by his public statements to the contrary. It would also be his lawyer McCullough – representing such an avid and public liar.
It would besmirch Grusch’s colleague, retired Colonel Karl Nell, who also served on the UAP Task Force and had this to say in Grusch’s defense:
“His assertion concerning the existence of a terrestrial arms race occurring sub-rosa over the past eighty years focused on reverse engineering technologies of unknown origin is fundamentally correct, as is the indisputable realization that at least some of these technologies of unknown origin derive from non-human intelligence.”
**Recall that Elizondo similarly complained of “excessive secrecy and internal opposition” within the Pentagon which led to his resignation in 2017. The Pentagon then publicly lied, stating that Lue had no affiliation with AATIP, until former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid publicly refuted the Pentagon’s lies.**
Lingering Questions
These are astounding revelations, but there are still some lingering questions that need to be answered.
Question 1: Who has already seen the data?
For starters, who has received the information that Grusch has? I am particularly interested in those who are democratically elected representatives.
We are told that he has turned over the information to the ICIG, the DODIG, and Congress. But we are also told that:
According to Grusch, certain information which he obtained in his investigation could not be put before Congressional staffers because they did not have the necessary clearances or the appropriate investigative authority.
So who exactly in Congress has been able to see the evidence? And why were these staffers not able to obtain the necessary security clearances?
Question 2: Why did DOPSR approve David’s request?
Since DOPSR is tasked with making sure classified information isn’t leaked, why did they approve, for example, Grusch’s description of the Italian UFO? Has it been declassified somehow? Was that never classified in the first place? Is it simply untrue? Or did David just exceed the bounds of what DOPSR said he could discuss?
I think that any time DOPSR allows someone to make bold claims about the government, these kinds of questions come up. In this particular case, I really think transparency would be helpful.
Question 3: Who is the roadblock? What is the timeline?
There is a lack of clarity when it comes to the exact timeline and nature of the whistleblower complaint. Yes, we know that certain agencies were not turning over their data. But once they did spill the beans to Grusch, why did that information not end up before Congress through the established channels?
Is Congress being deceived by the leaders of the UAP Task Force and AARO?
Recall that, according to Grusch, the Director of AARO was invited to investigate Grusch’s information but has not done so. 12
One theory is that the Pentagon is using a legal loophole to evade transparency – essentially saying that Congress hasn’t asked in the right way.
The theory goes like this: If the Pentagon interprets the law in a certain way, they might assert that AARO has Title 10 authority but not Title 50 authority. If so, any programs organized under Title 50 authority would be able to withhold their information from AARO.
This particular concern prompted a cadre of Senators to issue a letter in February 2023 to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, which asked, in part, for them to give the Director of AARO Title 50 authority:
“In addition to securing necessary funding, we request a briefing from your offices on your agencies’ plan to implement the dual reporting of AARO to the leadership of the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. The FY23 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) requires that the Director of AARO report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and thePrincipal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, with administrative support provided by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The briefing should cover the balance between Intelligence Community and Department of Defense involvement, including how Title 10 and Title 50 authorities will be delegated to, and exercised by, the Director of AARO.”
Was Grusch’s testimony a catalyst for this letter?
Two months after the letter was sent, Senator Rosen asked the Director of AARO this at the SASC Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities Hearing @43:05:
“Can I ask really quickly do you have the authorities you need to extend your collection posture between agencies or branches of the military because that seems to me to maybe be a sticking point … do you need any authorities that you don’t have to get the data?”
To which Dr. Kirkpatrick, the Director of AARO, replied:
“There are some authorities we need. We are currently operating under Title 10 authority… but having additional authorities for collection, tasking, counterintelligence – those are all things that would be helpful, yes.”
So apparently the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence ignored the Senator’s letter and have not granted Title 50 authority to the Director of AARO as requested. If that is true, it may explain why Dr. Kirkpatrick seems not to be informed of Grusch’s evidence or claims.
It should also be noted that Senator Gillibrand immediately followed that exchange with this:
“To follow up, Dr Kirkpatrick, will you help us write that language? So we can put it in the defense bill this year? So that we know what authorities you need?”
There are many ways that something can be declassified, and we intend to dive into that in future articles, but would the President allow this information to leak with journalists and FOIA requests rather than by making a big, showy announcement? I can’t imagine a more effective way to ensure your place in the history books than to be the President who announces the presence of alien life in the universe.
But perhaps he will have no control over the matter. The legal question remains murky. As does the urgency of Congress.
Is it possible that the slow hand of the government will be outwitted by these rogue agencies? Will they escape accountability because every move the government makes is telegraphed like a geriatric boxer? Will they (once again) manage to silence or ridicule the whistleblowers into obscurity?
The counter argument is that more people are aware now. Many good people, both inside and outside of the Pentagon, want this information to come out. They have more whistleblower protections than ever before. And now that so many people have seen Grusch’s data, we should be able to force disclosure, if nothing else, with legislation from Congress.
For the moment, it seems that one clear path to disclosure is to: (1) get AARO the appropriate authority so that it can access the information that Grusch is providing. Once he has that authority, the Director of AARO is obligated to (2) look into this information because, in the recent defense bill, Congress tasked AARO not only with reporting on current events, but also with providing them a “historical record of the United States Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena” going back to January 1, 1945.
AARO will submit this report to the congressional defense committees, the congressional intelligence committees, and congressional leadership. Congress has set a deadline for this report to be submitted no later than June 14, 2024. After that happens, once all the goods are in one place, transparency advocates can (3) push for a declassification and public release of that report. 19
We’ll dive more deeply into how each of us can put our thumb on the scale and advocate for transparency in future coverage, so make sure you subscribe to the email list and don’t miss it.
Conclusion
These are extraordinary claims made by people very high up in the government. People with a lot to lose. People who could face jail time if they get caught lying.
At this point, the more outlandish theory is that this is not true information. That Grusch is straight-up lying and that he fabricated the evidence. Or that his witnesses are lying and they fabricated the evidence.
Any of those scenarios will easily result in jail time for the liars. It is practically inconceivable that so many highly respected government employees would be lying about this. Or putting their reputations on the line for something that lacks substantial proof.
No. The most logical conclusion, amazing as it may sound, is that Grusch and his sources are correct. We are not alone. The government has proof of NHI. And they are hiding it from us.
That’s right. As of today, June 27, 2023, we have good reason to believe that WE HUMANS ARE NOT ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE.
I think we all need to take a moment and let that sink in.
____________________________________
Would you like to know more?
Definitely check out this deeper dive into AARO’s Historical Record Report. Congress designed it very well, including a watchdog organization to make sure there’s no funny business. I cannot wait to read this report.
Also, you really need to know about the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023 which was just introduced in Congress by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. While I think the Historical Record Report will be the main course, this bill could start to declassify juicy information even sooner than that. It’s very expansive and established a powerful Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Review Board which could be declassifying groundbreaking revelations quite soon.
We are covering every angle of this story, including how we can all join together to demand disclosure, so sign up for our email list and follow us on social channels.
You are alleging that the US government has been concealing the existence, on this planet, of alien life?
David Grusch 07:39
I would couch it as non human intelligence, you know, NHI, like we like to say in our language.
Ross Coulthart 07:45
Why do you say that? Why do you say NHI?
David Grusch 07:47
I don’t want to necessarily denote origin. I don’t think we have all the data to say, ‘Oh, they’re coming from a certain a certain location’. And I couch it as somebody who studied physics where maybe they’re coming from a different physical dimension as described in quantum mechanics. We know there’s extra dimensions due to high energy particle collisions, etc. And there’s a theoretical framework to explain that. Yeah.
Ross Coulthart 08:10
Let me cut to the quick that you’re saying. There is an intelligent species engaging with this planet.
David Grusch 08:17
Yes, that’s potentially extraterrestrial. Yeah.
…
Ross Coulthart 10:04
You are saying to the human race, for the first time, an official intelligence representative at a high level from the US government is saying publicly, ‘we are not alone’.
David Grusch 10:19
We’re definitely not alone. Absolutely. The data points empirically, that we’re not alone. Yeah.
2 The U.S. Government knows about it, and has known for some time.
If you’re, right. If you’re telling us the truth, everyone, the entire American public has been lied to for decades.
David Grusch 14:26
Yeah, there’s a sophisticated disinformation campaign targeting the US populace, which is extremely unethical and immoral.
Ross Coulthart 14:34
How long has this been going on?
David Grusch 14:37
A lot of the things I was briefed on were very shocking.
Ross Coulthart 14:52
So let’s just start from the very beginning. You say it’s a 90 year cover up?
David Grusch 15:00
Just about, yeah.
Ross Coulthart 15:01
90 years.
David Grusch 15:02
1933 was the first recovery in Europe in Magenta, Italy. They recovered a partially intact vehicle.
Ross Coulthart 15:11
It’s long been known that the regime of dictator Benito Mussolini, documented numerous UAP. During this time, this internal memo from the Italian secret services includes crude drawings of the UAPs. It’s true. It’s real.
David Grusch 15:30
Yeah, that actually happened. The Italian government moved it to a secure airbase in Italy for the rest of kind of the fascist regime until 1944-1945. And you know, the Pope Pius the 12th back channeled that.
Ross Coulthart
So the Vatican was involved.
David Grusch
Yeah, and told the Americans what the Italians had, and we ended up scooping it.
3 This NHI has visited, and is visiting, our planet.
You’ve said that we have the United States has spacecraft? Intact craft?
David Grusch
We do.
Ross Coulthart
Do we have bodies? Do we have species of nonhuman…?
David Grusch 10:37
Well, naturally, when you recover something that’s either landed or crashed, sometimes you encounter dead pilots. And believe it or not, as fantastical as that sounds, it’s true.
6 Recent Congressional attempts to obtain information about these programs have been undermined by rogue elements within the government.
An unclassified version of the complaint provided to us states that Grusch has direct knowledge that UAP-related classified information has been withheld and/or concealed from Congress by “elements” of the intelligence community “to purposely and intentionally thwart legitimate Congressional oversight of the UAP Program.” All testimony Grusch provided for the classified complaint was provided under oath.
7 Some of the members of these agencies have given Grusch detailed testimony, as well as photos and official documents, which details the history of these programs and crafts. Grusch provided this information to Congress in 2022… All of this is highly classified information which Grusch has given to Congress.
So take me through the process of how you convinced yourself that this is real.
David Grusch 35:53
Well, based on the credential people that came to me, some of these subjects provided me sensitive foreign intelligence to read, sensitive program documents and photographs to evaluate, and then described in very specific detail how all this worked. And they were telling me the exact extremely specific details that all – it all checked out, yeah.
Beginning in 2022, Grusch provided Congress with hours of recorded classified information transcribed into hundreds of pages which included specific data about the materials recovery program. Congress has not been provided with any physical materials related to wreckage or other non-human objects.
A whistleblower reprisal investigation was launched, and Grusch began his communication with the staff of the Congressional intelligence committees in private closed-door sessions. According to Grusch, certain information which he obtained in his investigation could not be put before Congressional staffers because they did not have the necessary clearances or the appropriate investigative authority.
And what it involved was him speaking to many people because he was very well connected and very well trusted within the intelligence community. He was able to speak to many people who have direct knowledge of these programs, people who are actually involved with the programs. And many of them came forward to him and told him about illegal activities that were going on because there was no oversight. There were questions about the Federal Acquisition Regulations that should have been governing some of the contracted programs.
And he just was able to gather a lot of data from them over a period of years, which he eventually brought to Congress and also communicated to the intelligence community inspector general in a complaint that involved reprisals that had been taken against him earlier.
It’s a long and complicated story. But I think the key thing is that he is making the statement that there are craft in the possession of these programs, these government programs, and have been for decades that have been shown to be of nonhuman origin definitively. And he doesn’t have direct access to the programs. He hasn’t seen the stuff himself. He hasn’t touched it or had any exposure to it. He has seen documentation about it — photographs, as I understand it — and has spoken to many people directly involved. So that’s where his information comes from.
Ezra Klein
So has he named any of these people to you?
Leslie Kean
Not to me. The specific individuals, the locations of the programs, the names of the programs, all of those things are classified, so he’s not in a position to present any of that information to me. But he has presented that information to Congress, and he presented about 11 hours of oral testimony to congressional staffers, which was then transcribed into hundreds of pages. So all that information has been provided, but not to me.
8 The Italian government and the Catholic Church have known about these craft since at least 1933.
A lot of them were very large, very large, yeah. Like a football field kinda size. And I remember interviewing these personnel, I’m like either these people are lying to me, or having a psychotic break, or this is some crazy but true stuff that’s happening. And I have no good explanation that’s prosaic at all for this because this is not explainable by, you know, swamp gas, St. Elmo’s fire, ball lightning, etc, etc. I mean, this is like tangible technical craft they’re seeing up close and personal in some cases when I interviewed people.
10 The NHI have killed humans and may in fact be malevolent.
The common interpretation from some commentators is that there is a nonhuman species and it’s incredibly benevolently well disposed to the human race.
David Grusch 27:29
Yeah. And I think that is a – the logical fallacy there is because they’re advanced, they’re kind. We’ll never really understand full intent in that because we’re we’re not them, whatever them is, or are. But I think what appears to be malevolent activity has happened based on not only nuclear sight probing activities, witness testimony. I think at least if we look at it through a humanistic lens it does appear negative, at least to us.
Ross Coulthart 28:03
I’ve been told that there have been attempts to bring down craft. That we’ve acted offensively against non human craft.
David Grusch 28:14
There have been instances and there are certain techniques.
Ross Coulthart 28:18
Have human beings being hurt or killed by a nonhuman intelligence?
David Grusch 28:26
While I can’t get into the specifics, because that would reveal certain US classified operations, I was briefed by a few individuals on the program that there were malevolent events like that.
Ross Coulthart 28:38
Now I’m scared. People have just heard you say nonhumans… may well have murdered human beings.
David Grusch 28:49
That seems to be the case at one point, yeah.
11 Some peer adversaries of the United States have also recovered craft. All of them are trying to backward-engineer the technology that makes them work, as is the United States.
And there’s more. Grush says the United States is not the only country that’s encountered NHI and their technology. He says our geopolitical rivals have their own crash retrieval programs, which they are also secretly exploiting for military purposes.
David Grusch 29:12
We’re in a competition with our adversaries to understand this. And it’s a – it’s a multi decade cold war that has been under our nose for so long. And, you know, there is no good way to level the playing field and hold other nation states accountable if they’re doing unethical or illicit activity as it relates to the subject. And I think the (up to?) secrecy is actually putting us in a very dangerous position where a country might make a breakthrough that say we uh, it’s an adversary of ours. And it is so destabilizing…
Ross Coulthart 29:49
You say there’s been a Cold War behind the scenes with Russia and China.
David Grusch 29:54
There has been a cold war against our with our with our peer adversaries. Yeah.
12 Newsnation Interview and the SASC Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities Hearing
“I should also state clearly for the record that in our research AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics.”
Only a few weeks ago 19th of April, the head of the Pentagon’s UAP investigations program, Dr. Shawn Kirkpatrick, told Congress, AARO, that’s the Pentagon’s UFO investigation body, has found no credible evidence thus far of extra terrestrial activity offworld technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics.
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick 25:42
While a large number of cases in our holdings remain technically unresolved, this is primarily due to a lack of data associated with those cases.
Ross Coulthart 25:51
Was that a lie?
David Grusch 25:53
Well, I know Dr. Shawn Kirkpatrick. I’ve known him for about eight years. And, you know, I expressed some concerns to Dr. Kirkpatrick about a year ago, and I told him what I was starting to uncover, and he didn’t follow up with me, and he has my phone number he could have called me. I hope he ultimately does the right thing. He should be able to make the same investigative discoveries I did. It’s totally crazy if he doesn’t.
Ross Coulthart 26:19
So the implication here is that the head of the very body that Congress has ordered to tell the American public the truth, about UAPs is possibly misleading the American public. Do you think the American public is being lied to?
David Grusch 26:37
Well, they’ve been lied to over the years. And I’m hoping that the lies stop.
13 Unlike some other whistleblowers, Grusch is attempting to operate entirely within the bounds of the law. This means he is not currently revealing any classified information to the public and he even appears to be clearing what he says publicly with DOPSR the Defense Office of Pre-Publication and Security Review.
“In accordance with protocols, Grusch provided the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review at the Department of Defense with the information he intended to disclose to us. His on-the-record statements were all “cleared for open publication” on April 4 and 6, 2023, in documents provided to us..”
A prepublication security and policy review is the process by which information proposed for public release is reviewed to ensure compliance with established national and DoD policies, and to determine that it contains no classified, controlled unclassified, export-controlled, or operational security related information.
So, the Defense Pre-publication Security Review, that’s also called DOPSR, each branch or component of the government has one of these offices. And so what it means is, anytime somebody who held a top-secret position or has worked with classified material, if they’re going to discuss that work publicly, if they’re gonna write a book, if we’re going to do an interview, that type of thing, they are required…they’re supposed to clear what they intend to say through DOPSR beforehand. And DOPSR’s role there is to determine what somebody is going to say, what they’re going to write, if they’re writing a book, what they’re going to print, and make sure that what’s being said isn’t classified information. So, they’re essentially stamping and saying, “That’s fine, you can say that.” And, you know, they may, in certain instances, say, “No, you can’t say that.” Or, often, they do. They’ll say you can say this. You can’t say that.
…It has to do with ensuring that people who are even out of the government now, that if they’re going to talk about their work while working in a classified setting in government if they’re going to talk about that publicly, it’s ensuring that the information they’re talking about, they’re not revealing national security secrets or classified information.
14 DOPSR’s role is not to verify the truth of such information, but rather to grant permission to discuss certain topics with the general public without exposing certain state secrets.
“…when he decided he wanted to come forward with his story, he put the information he wanted to share through DOPSR, and they cleared it. That doesn’t mean that the Department of Defense is stamping off on what he’s saying and saying, “Okay, yeah, it’s all true.” They’re just saying, “Okay, we’ll let you say that because it’s not going to reveal any secrets.”
15 Because he chose this approach, Grusch can only legally discuss certain DOPSR-approved topics and he cannot reveal the bulk of the details which he has given to Congress.
“…But it does speak to the fact that Grusch really tried to take the exact, appropriate path, the exact official channels. He’s tried to do everything right throughout this process. He hasn’t gone willy-nilly. And so, when he decided he wanted to come forward with his story, he put the information he wanted to share through DOPSR, and they cleared it.”
Associates who vouched for Grusch said his information was highly sensitive, providing evidence that materials from objects of non-human origin are in the possession of highly secret black programs. Although locations, program names, and other specific data remain classified, the Inspector General and intelligence committee staff were provided with these details.
16 In July 2021, Grusch, who was working for the UAP Task Force at the time, provided information to the Department of Defense Inspector General concerning the illegal withholding of UAP-related information from Congress.
“In July 2021, Mr. Grusch confidentially provided UAP-related classified information to the Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG). At that time, Mr. Grusch communicated classified information about the improper withholding and or concealment of classified material from the US Congress by certain IC elements.”
17 Grusch then retained attorney Charles McCullough III, a former Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG), to represent him as he filed a statutory whistleblower complaint which was submitted to the current ICIG.
Grusch is represented by Charles McCullough III, senior partner of the Compass Rose Legal Group in Washington and the original Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2011. At that time, McCullough reported directly to the then-Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, and oversaw intelligence officers responsible for audits, inspections, and investigations.
In May 2022, McCullough filed a Disclosure of Urgent Concern(s); Complaint of Reprisal on behalf of Grusch with the ICIG about detailed information that Grusch had gathered beginning in 2019 while working for the UAP Task Force.
Compass Rose Legal Group has successfully concluded its representation of former client David Grush on matters limited to his reasonable belief that elements of the Intelligence Community improperly withheld or concealed alleged classified information from the U.S. Congress. The firm filed a narrowly-scoped whistleblower disclosure with the Intelligence Community Inspector General (“ICIG”) and associated personnel matters – and had represented Mr. Grusch since February 2022.
18 McCullough filed Grusch’s complaint in May 2022. As part of the process, Grusch testified, under oath, to his knowledge of classified information being illegally withheld from Congress.
An unclassified version of the complaint provided to us states that Grusch has direct knowledge that UAP-related classified information has been withheld and/or concealed from Congress by “elements” of the intelligence community “to purposely and intentionally thwart legitimate Congressional oversight of the UAP Program.” All testimony Grusch provided for the classified complaint was provided under oath.
“I have read the disclosure drafted by my attorneys, Irvin Charles McCullough, III, and Andrew P. Bakaj, and I hereby adopt the statements as if they were my own and do solemnly affirm under the penalties of perjury that the contents of the foregoing paper are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.”
19 This is obligatory, as Congress has tasked AARO not only with reporting on current events, but also with providing them a “historical record of the United States Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena” going back to January 1, 1945.
‘‘(j) HISTORICAL RECORD REPORT.—
‘‘(1) REPORT REQUIRED.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 540 days after the
date of the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the Director of the Office shall
submit to the congressional defense committees, the
congressional intelligence committees, and congressional
leadership a written report detailing the historical record
of the United States Government relating to unidentified
anomalous phenomena, including—
‘‘(i) the records and documents of the intelligence
community;
‘‘(ii) oral history interviews;
‘‘(iii) open source analysis;
‘‘(iv) interviews of current and former Government
officials;
‘‘(v) classified and unclassified national archives
including any records any third party obtained pursuant to section 552 of title 5, United States Code; and
‘‘(vi) such other relevant historical sources as the
Director of the Office considers appropriate.
‘‘(B) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.—The report submitted
under subparagraph (A) shall—
‘‘(i) focus on the period beginning on January 1,
1945, and ending on the date on which the Director
of the Office completes activities under this subsection;
and
‘‘(ii) include a compilation and itemization of the
key historical record of the involvement of the intelligence community with unidentified anomalous phenomena, including—
‘‘(I) any program or activity that was protected
by restricted access that has not been explicitly
and clearly reported to Congress;
‘‘(II) successful or unsuccessful efforts to identify and track unidentified anomalous phenomena;
and
‘‘(III) any efforts to obfuscate, manipulate
public opinion, hide, or otherwise provide incorrect
unclassified or classified information about
unidentified anomalous phenomena or related
activities.
This work by Derek Dwilson is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please note that this license does not include photos or videos that may be in the story.
. Please note that this license does not include photos or videos that may be in the story.
