The United States Congress is strange enough without aliens, but here we are. Or is it, here they are?
Over a span of several months, members of the 118th Congress have gone from being transfixed by wind-propelled spy balloons to being mesmerized by a whistleblower’s claims that US intelligence officials possess “intact and partially intact non-human aircraft.” The whistleblower, former intelligence officer David Grusch, also claims that this and other evidence are being withheld from Congress.
“The allegations themselves are breathtaking,” says Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat. “It could be a game changer, or it could be a crank. I just don't know.”
Whether Grusch proves to be a crank or a game changer will likely soon be investigated by lawmakers from both parties and in both chambers of Congress. Skeptics abound, but there are also lawmakers who are curious and open to proof. Then there are the believers.
In our strange new political universe of alternative facts turned dystopian reality, once-fringe notions have built-in fan bases in today’s Capitol. And in the House of Representatives, party leaders tapped Grusch’s allies to lead their chamber’s investigation.
On one level, it’s fitting that today’s conspiracy-laced Congress—where anti-vaxxers berate scientists, Election 2020 remains disputed, and January 6 rioters are praised as victims—is now tasked with tackling arguably the nation’s most long-standing conspiracy. But many senators fear their House...
This story is the second in an ongoing series on the Cost of Fraud, as Open the Books tallies the hidden fees on American tax returns. Click here to read the first story on fraudulent autism billi...