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burlison-marc-cox-interview-20260515

17 min read

Rep. Eric Burlison on UAP Disclosure (Marc Cox Morning Show, May 15, 2026)

  • Interviewee: Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets
  • Interviewers: Marc Cox and Kim St. Onge
  • Broadcaster: 97.1 FM Talk / Fox News Radio St. Louis
  • Date: May 15, 2026
  • URL: https://youtu.be/uBBrPRY56PE
  • Duration: 12:22 (742 seconds)
  • View count at retrieval: 379
  • Retrieved: 2026-05-15 via youtube-transcript-api

Key UAP claims

The interview covers Burlison’s reaction to the PURSUE Release 01 (May 8, 2026) and a closed AARO briefing he attended the previous night.

On the Apollo 17 image (PURSUE Release 01)

“I think the most interesting one is the one from from the Apollo missions because it’s hard to It’s hard to like describe those as a weather balloon or as a Chinese drone.”

Asks why a 1972 image was held back for 50+ years: “Why wouldn’t they tell the world what was going on in 1972? I mean I don’t get it at all and that’s not NASA is supposed to be the agency of all agencies that’s the most transparent and open.”

Calls the Apollo material “some of the most compelling things because you can’t fake that right and it’s not AI.” Claims Apollo conversations referencing UAPs were “covered up” — astronauts on the moon saying “Houston we’re seeing some weird stuff in the sky out our window here” with Houston responding only “acknowledged.”

White House outreach

“The White House called me and said, ‘Hey, can you talk nice about these this release of videos?’ And I said, ‘I don’t even know what’s in it. You guys did not engage with us at all.‘”

“And they said, ‘You’re right and we’re now at a point where we need you because we don’t really know where to go take the investigation from here. Like we kind of know where to ask and where we’re still declassifying. We have videos that we’re still declassifying. We have content that we’re still declassifying. But as far as like where to take the investigation, where who do you think we should talk to?‘”

This is significant: Burlison claims the White House asked him (a member of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets) where to take the investigation. If accurate, this means the executive branch is leaning on a single House member’s contacts to advance the PURSUE process, which suggests either (a) the executive doesn’t have the institutional knowledge or (b) it doesn’t want a formal investigative process and is offloading direction-setting to a willing legislator.

AARO briefing the night before (May 14, 2026)

“Today I last night we had a about a hour and a half briefing with AARO. we saw about 30 UAP videos. Some of them are incredible.”

Two videos described:

  1. Aggressive acceleration video: “An object that is flying at a very aggressive speed… probably 80 miles an hour in the atmosphere and then suddenly just goes like Mach speed. And it just instantly takes off.” Burlison says everyone in the room (including skeptical staffers) “gasped” when they saw it. “There’s not a single aerial thing that can do something like that.”

  2. Russian sub video: “Three objects that are buzzing around this Russian sub that the camera operator who’s supposed to be watching a Russian sub suddenly starts realizing I’ve got to be watching these objects.”

Sources he wants to talk to

“That I’ve always wanted [to talk to] never really talked to me because they they’re all protected under their non-disclosure agreements.”

He told the White House: “I want to be You got to bring me in because I’ve been doing all of this work um and with no recognition. And so if you if now it’s now things are going to get start getting real real and real disclosure is going to happen, I deserve to be a part of this.”

Significance

This is contemporaneous testimony from a sitting Congressman with security clearances and AARO briefing access, hours after a closed AARO session. Several specific factual claims that are independently checkable:

  1. PURSUE Release 01 contained an Apollo 17 image with three lights in triangular formation (confirmed by our existing nasa-uap-study sources)
  2. AARO conducted a briefing on May 14, 2026 showing ~30 UAP videos
  3. The White House contacted Burlison after PURSUE Release 01 asking for guidance on the investigation
  4. Two specific videos were described (aggressive acceleration, Russian sub formation)
  5. NDA-bound contractor sources are blocking congressional access — the same thesis underlying the NewsNation “private contractor” article we attempted to source

This is the same Burlison who hired David Grusch as Special Advisor (see the-whistleblowers) and whose ~40 credibility rating in community-credibility-assessment reflects political advocacy posture without independent verification. The specific factual claims here (Apollo image content, AARO briefing date, White House outreach) are verifiable; the broader narrative framing (disclosure imminent, contractors blocking access) is consistent with the advocacy lane he occupies.

Full transcript

[00:02] Capital Beat [00:04] There you have it. Welcome back. We’re [00:06] glad you’re with us. We’ve got [00:07] Congressman [music] Eric Berleson on the [00:09] line this morning and Congressman, how [00:12] are you, sir? [00:14] Doing good. I could I could barely hear [00:16] what that previous recording was. It was [00:19] It was President Trump coming up with a [00:22] new nickname for Democrats that he [00:24] announced on the Sean Hannity show last [00:26] night. Let me see if I can play it [00:27] again. Nope. [00:29] Nope, I guess it’s not working. Do you [00:30] have me potted down over there? [00:32] What What was the nickname? I came up [00:34] with a new name. I don’t know if I [00:35] should [00:37] I I know which one it is. Democrats. He [00:39] said They’re dumb. They’re dumb. He [00:41] [laughter] [00:42] started calling them Democrats because [00:44] he said they voted against the farm [00:46] bill. They don’t like farmers. [00:49] Did you Were you there for that vote? [00:51] Was that a House vote? [00:54] So that that actually I That was a weird [00:57] That was one of the first times I’ve [00:58] ever had to [00:59] miss the vote. My my daughter is [01:01] graduating [01:03] from high school. [01:04] And um [01:05] And and and you know, it’s There’s some [01:09] moments in your life [01:10] that [01:12] I have a near-perfect voting record of [01:15] of not missing votes, but there’s some [01:17] moments where you just [01:18] you’ve got to prioritize your family. [01:20] Absolutely. Yeah, my my own daughter’s [01:22] graduating next week. So I get it. I get [01:25] that completely. [01:26] Yeah, he What What is your reaction to [01:29] China so far? The the trip I know [01:32] President’s on his way back. He claims [01:34] it was a big success in terms of you [01:36] know, business deals and things like [01:38] that. [01:40] Well, I Look, I I trust the president. [01:43] He He has been There’s not a single [01:45] person that has been more [01:47] staunch against [01:49] China and rightfully so. As As I’ve been [01:52] in Congress, I’ve been shocked at how [01:55] pervasive China is in the United States, [01:58] how aggressive their espionage is, for [02:01] example. I That has been like It It [02:04] honestly is is shocking to me. [02:07] Um go going having briefing after [02:09] briefing and most of them are about the [02:12] impact of China in every in every walk [02:16] of life. Um So, [02:19] and I and I think Trump knows that, but [02:22] I guess I guess um [02:24] you know, [02:25] keep your enemies close. [02:27] It is kind of is is probably a a wise [02:30] thing, but you know, they they are not [02:33] They’re We have to be really cautious [02:35] with China. They [02:37] This is This is This country does not [02:39] intend for us to be [02:42] um [02:43] the number one player in the world for [02:45] for very long. They They They absolutely [02:47] want to take us out. We have to be [02:49] cautious about that. Well, you are [02:51] switching topics here. You are official [02:53] UFO expert, and we haven’t had a chance [02:55] to talk to you since the Pentagon [02:56] released its UFO file showing those [02:59] images. And obviously, the internet’s [03:00] going wild talking about that. What’s [03:02] your take on it, and what can you tell [03:04] us cuz I know you’re in those meetings. [03:07] So, it it is good that they finally had [03:09] a first step. Um [03:11] Those are images Many of them I’ve [03:14] already seen. The There’s some that are [03:17] pretty [03:18] I think the most interesting one is the [03:20] one from from the Apollo missions [03:23] because [03:24] it’s hard to It’s hard to like describe [03:26] those as a weather balloon [03:28] or as a Chinese drone. [03:31] And that’s what most of the videos that [03:33] I see, that’s that’s what they’re like [03:35] checked off as. You cannot say that [03:39] those three dots in the sky above the [03:41] moon are a weather balloon or a drone. [03:44] So, [03:45] we we are going to So, what we’ve asked [03:48] is for them to [03:50] do a [03:51] a monumental effort [03:53] take that image from the from the [03:56] original source [03:58] from the I don’t know what you call it [03:59] but like the [04:01] the um [04:03] um [04:05] from from the film itself and try to [04:09] really restore that image as close as we [04:11] possibly can so that we can see what [04:14] potentially what that thing is. [04:16] >> What [04:17] Have you ever gotten an explanation [04:19] because obviously a lot of this stuff’s [04:21] classified of what they were afraid of [04:24] of letting the American people know the [04:26] truth about this. What are they so [04:27] afraid of? [04:28] >> Yeah, I No, Mark I I’ve not they did not [04:31] I’ve not heard from anybody why they [04:33] wouldn’t have released that. That’s that [04:35] case in 1972. Why wouldn’t they tell the [04:38] world what was going on in 1972? I mean [04:42] I I don’t I don’t get it at all and [04:44] that’s not NASA is supposed to be the [04:46] agency of all agencies that’s the most [04:48] transparent and open. [04:50] And yet they’ve been holding on to this [04:52] closely guarded secret which is a very [04:55] very shocking thing. Um honestly of all [04:58] the things that I’ve seen and I’ve seen [05:00] some pretty crazy videos of of UAPs. [05:04] I think honest honestly the one the [05:07] stuff that the Apollo from the Apollo [05:09] missions is [05:11] is some of the most compelling things [05:12] because you can’t fake that right and [05:15] it’s not it’s not AI it’s not um [05:19] uh so yeah. [05:21] Uh so I heard you say [05:24] It is really weird especially that they [05:26] covered up the conversations that were [05:28] having. So you had Apollo you had people [05:31] on the moon saying hey Houston we’re [05:34] seeing some weird stuff in the sky out [05:36] our window here [05:38] um and and they’re describing it and [05:40] Houston is just saying acknowledged [05:43] right so it [05:44] and then all of that is all kept secret [05:47] for [05:48] what is it now? [05:50] 50 years? 60 years? [05:53] >> Yeah. [05:54] Um you said it was a good first You said [05:56] it was a good first step. So you think [05:58] there’s a lot more they could release? [06:02] Well, I know there is. I know and I know [06:03] that there’s there’s more to come [06:04] because the White House called me and [06:07] they [06:08] So the White House called me and said, [06:10] “Hey, can you talk nice about these this [06:12] release of videos?” And I said, “I don’t [06:13] even know what’s in it. You guys did not [06:15] engage with us at all.” Yeah. And um [06:18] and I’m probably I’m still in the tea [06:21] here a little bit, but and they said, [06:24] “You’re right and uh we’re now at a [06:25] point where we need you because we don’t [06:27] really you come down the recon on this. [06:30] We don’t really know where to go take [06:32] the investigation from here. Like we we [06:34] kind of know [06:36] where where to ask and where we’re still [06:38] declassifying. We have videos that we’re [06:39] still declassifying. We have content [06:41] that we’re still declassifying. But as [06:43] far as like where to take the [06:44] investigation, where who do you think we [06:46] should talk to?” And I’m like, “You’re [06:47] really asking me [06:49] of all You’re asking me [06:52] who to go talk to?” [06:54] That So I gave them a a [06:57] a that I’ve always wanted [07:02] never really talked to me because they [07:04] they they’re all protected under their [07:06] non-disclosure agreements. [07:07] >> Sure. And they or they you know, all of [07:10] that kind of stuff. And so I said, “But [07:12] I want to I want to be You got to bring [07:14] me in because I’ve been doing all of [07:16] this work [07:18] um and with no recognition. And so if [07:22] you if now it’s now things are going to [07:24] get start getting real real and real [07:26] disclosure is going to happen, I I [07:29] deserve to be a part of this.” And so [07:32] um that’s kind of where things are. [07:34] And uh today I last night [07:37] we had a about a hour and a half [07:40] briefing with AARO. we saw about 30 [07:44] UAP videos. [07:46] Some of them are incredible. Yeah. One [07:48] of them and I’ll I’ll describe the two [07:51] two of them. One of them is um [07:54] of an object that is [07:56] that goes that is flying at a very [07:59] aggressive speed. I don’t know how how [08:02] fast [08:03] and then suddenly just instantaneously [08:06] goes from whatever speed it’s flying and [08:08] my guess is it’s flying with the wind [08:10] probably probably 80 miles an hour in [08:12] the in the atmosphere [08:14] and then suddenly just goes [08:16] like Mach speed. And it just instantly [08:19] takes off. [08:20] >> Just gone. [08:21] >> And it was one of those it was one of [08:22] those moments where everyone in the room [08:25] gasped. [08:26] Every even the even the staffers who are [08:30] like the most skeptical people in the [08:32] room just gasped when they saw that [08:35] video. Um cuz there’s not a single [08:39] aerial thing that can do something like [08:41] that. They can pull that off. That’s [08:42] true. Well, I’m anxious to hear what [08:44] what they drop next. Congressman, I I [08:46] want to I want to respect your time [08:48] here. I know you’ve got a deadline when [08:50] you have to be off the phone. Are we [08:51] close to that? [08:53] No, I’m good. I’m good. [08:54] >> You Are you Are you good? [08:55] >> [clears throat] [08:57] >> Yeah, I’m good. We The other video was [09:00] one of a of a submarine. I think it’s a [09:03] new it’s a Russian sub that we’re [09:05] filming and there are about three [09:08] objects that are buzzing around this [09:10] Russian sub [09:11] that the the camera operator [09:15] who’s supposed to be watching a Russian [09:17] sub [09:18] suddenly starts realizing [09:20] I’ve got to be watching these objects. [09:22] >> I love how passionate you are about UFOs [09:24] by the way, which is why we trust you [09:26] with all our UFO updates. Really fast [09:29] before we let you go cuz I know you do [09:31] have something going on here in a little [09:32] bit. What Tell us about this legislation [09:34] that you’ve just introduced that’s [09:35] supposed to help home buyers. What would [09:36] that do? [09:38] Oh, yeah. It’s It’s the Make It’s called [09:41] the Make the American Dream Real Again [09:43] Act and and it’s designed to say, you [09:45] know, when you go to Those of us that [09:48] have bought a home, you know how it how [09:50] it works. First, you talk to the to your [09:52] buyer’s agent and you say, “Hey, can the [09:55] seller pay my closing costs or can they [09:56] pay for the assessor fee or I’m sorry, [09:59] the appraisal fee?” [10:01] Um [10:02] and those are the kind of things that [10:04] you can have done. [10:06] What we’re trying to do is boost that. [10:08] So, [10:09] let people pay for [10:11] those fees, but also pay for [10:14] uh the down payment. So, if [10:17] which we understand a lot of people are [10:18] having a hard time coming up with A lot [10:20] of young people particularly because [10:22] when homes are selling, the average home [10:24] is like 300,000 home. So, [10:41] we’re trying to figure out how do we [10:44] reduce the tax burden for the seller if [10:47] they offer an incentive of saying, “I [10:50] will cover your down payment costs.” And [10:53] that will [10:54] cause a transition of homes from rental [10:57] homes to [10:59] to ownership. It’ll have a tremendous [11:02] transfer of of that. [11:04] >> And that’s currently not allowed. Is [11:06] that correct then? [11:08] That’s right. Okay, I didn’t know that. [11:10] >> [clears throat] [11:10] >> Yeah, if you sell if you’ve got a rental [11:12] home and you’ve you’ve accrued [11:14] especially if you if it’s accrued if if [11:17] it’s appreciated, you have to pay [11:20] the capital gains tax on that home if [11:22] you’re going to sell it, which causes a [11:24] lot of people to say, “I’m not I’m not [11:26] going to sell [clears throat] this [11:27] home.” because I’m going to pay a huge [11:29] tax when I sell this home. [11:31] And as a result, they just sit on these [11:32] homes that could be a home that’s owned [11:35] by first-time buyer. [11:37] So, what what my bill does is says, [11:40] “Hey, instead of just sitting instead of [11:42] paying the capital gains tax to the [11:44] government, pay it in the form of a down [11:46] payment to this to the buyer, [11:49] which would make [11:50] >> Yeah, so which would make the home much [11:53] more [11:54] sellable, right? And [11:56] >> and uh and help the buyer. It helps a [11:58] lot of young first-time buyers. Well, [12:01] let us let us know how that’s going. We [12:03] appreciate that. Congressman, thanks for [12:04] your time and we’ll look forward to [12:06] getting you on again here soon. [12:08] Anytime, Mark. [12:09] >> All right, take care of yourself. Uh [12:10] good to get him on here. Congressman [12:12] Eric Burlison talking about his Make the [12:14] American Dream Real Again Act. That’s [12:18] that’s pretty fascinating. I That has a [12:19] lot of uh And needed. [12:21] >> Lot of a lot of necessary

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