The Pentagon released a trove of 162 UFO-related files, following a direct order from President Trump to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to increase government transparency on the subject. This release, which includes reported sightings of what the government calls unidentified anomalous phenomena dating back to 1950, is now available for public review on a new webpage located at war.gov/UFO.
During a Thursday episode of his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, podcaster Joe Rogan questioned Republican Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee about the potential for these files to serve as a distraction from current political issues. Specifically, Rogan suggested that the release might be a way to divert public attention away from the ongoing Iran war.
“What doesn’t totally make sense is why now disclosure? Other than — I mean this is being cynical — the Iran war isn’t going very well, the American public’s very upset, a lot of people don’t think we should ever have been involved in that in the first place and we need some good news,” Rogan asked Burchett.
It is clear that while some view this as a necessary step toward government openness, others see it as a strategic distraction from the economic and political challenges facing the administration
Representative Burchett, who has been a vocal proponent of UFO transparency alongside Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, pushed back against the idea that the administration is using the files as a smoke screen. He told Rogan that he does not believe “Trump really even cares” about the war in this context. Instead, Burchett expressed his belief that the president is motivated by a genuine desire to inform the American public about these phenomena.
The congressman has previously stated on Fox News that he has “been briefed on some things” that were “pretty wild.” During his conversation with Rogan, Burchett emphasized that his interest isn’t about little green men or flying saucers. He framed the issue as one of government accountability and fiscal responsibility.
“It’s not about little green men, it’s not about dadgum flying saucers,” Burchett said. “It’s about what are we spending tens of millions of your dollars on when some alphabet agency tells me they don’t exist and then again, another department within that department tells me they do exist. I think America needs to know that stuff, and we need to know what the heck we’re spending the money on to study.”
Not everyone in the Republican party shares this enthusiasm for the new disclosures. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took to X to express her frustration, labeling the release as nothing more than “shiny object propaganda.” She voiced her strong dissatisfaction with the administration’s priorities, arguing that the public is being distracted while more pressing issues are ignored.
“I really don’t care about the UFO files. I just don’t,” she wrote on X. “I’m so sick of the ‘look at the shiny object’ propaganda while they wage foreign wars, let rapist and pedophiles run free, and ruin the value of our dollar. Unless they roll out live aliens and test demo UFOs or actually admit what we know this really is then I have way better things to do on this Friday.”
In a subsequent post on X made less than an hour later, Greene criticized the administration’s lack of transparency regarding other sensitive topics, specifically mentioning the Epstein files. She claimed that while the administration is rolling out UFO documents, it has failed to release all the files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She also linked the administration’s foreign policy decisions to the recent surge in gas prices, noting that Americans are currently paying over $4.50 per gallon.
The Pentagon has indicated that the review process is massive, covering tens of millions of records. Because of this, they plan to release new materials on a rolling basis, with tranches expected every few weeks. Officials have clarified that the materials hosted on the new website are unresolved cases where the government cannot make a definitive determination due to a lack of sufficient data.
President Trump addressed the release on Truth Social, framing it as a shift toward greater accountability compared to previous administrations. “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have Fun and Enjoy!” he wrote.
Published: May 8, 2026 07:30 pm