The American people have a right to know whether elements within the intelligence establishment have withheld information on crashed UFOs that were recovered by the government and may be used to develop weapons, according to Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).

Perry reacted strongly to allegations from a whistleblower, who claims that information about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP, formerly called UFOs) has been kept secret to “purposely and intentionally thwart legitimate congressional oversight of the UAP Program.”

“The truth, whatever it is, regardless of what the subject is, belongs with the American people, not in these halls, not in some other place in some building in downtown Washington, D.C.—out with the American people,” Perry told The Epoch Times on June 6.

“This is their government, not the people that work in D.C. They’re the custodians of the information.”

The allegation comes at a time when public trust in the federal government has eroded, adding weight to a claim that, just a few years ago, might have been met with snickering disbelief.

David C. Grusch, 36, a former intelligence official and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, claims to have provided Congress and the Intelligence Community Inspector General classified information about covert UAP programs. That information proves that the United States has collected intact and partially intact craft of nonhuman origin, according to Grusch.

Grusch claims to have experienced retaliation for his actions, leading him to file a whistleblower complaint.

The story was first reported on June 5 by The Debrief, which states that other intelligence officials have provided similar accounts and corroborating information. Grusch also stated his claims in an interview on NewsNation on June 5. Reporters for both outlets said they had not seen the evidence Grusch claims to possess.

Grusch formerly worked in the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office and was a member of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (NAPTF) from 2019 to 2021, according to The Debrief.

The United States and its allies have recovered partial and intact remains of aircraft of nonhuman origin for decades, according to Grusch, including the remains of aliens.

“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,” Grusch told News Nation. “We’re definitely not alone.”

Grusch claims to have seen evidence of “quite a number” of devices of nonhuman origin provided by unnamed intelligence officers who, he says, were part of a secret program.

The discovery of technology developed by other species could have a profound effect on human development, according to Garry Nolan, a professor at Stanford University.

“What might be represented here could be hundreds of technology revolutions ahead of us. It could be more transformative for humanity than what the microprocessor accomplished. Imagine what we could do with even a grain of knowledge about how they operate,” Nolan said, according to The Debrief.

That knowledge could have implications for the defense industry as well.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2023 directs the secretary of defense to establish a “secure mechanism for authorized reporting of—any event relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena,” including “material retrieval, material analysis, reverse engineering, research and development, detection and tracking, developmental or operational testing, and security protections and enforcement.”

The law further states that must “prevent the unauthorized public reporting or compromise of classified military and intelligence systems, programs, and related activity, including all categories and levels of special access and compartmented access programs.”

Certain members of Congress and other officials have been briefed about UAP, including exotic recovered materials, since 2019, according to The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has no knowledge of any such reverse-engineering efforts.

“To date, AARO has not discovered any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently,” Sue Gough, told The Epoch Times on June 6.

“AARO welcomes the opportunity to speak with any former or current government employee or contractor who believes they have information relevant to the historical review.”

A day after Grusch’s claim was made public, several members of Congress told The Epoch Times that they had no knowledge of the allegation or its veracity, though some found it concerning.

Asked about the allegation during a news conference, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said, “This is not a question I had on my bingo card,” evoking chuckles from the audience.

“There was a committee hearing [about AARO] and there were members of the defense community who testified in public session. I imagine that there will continue to be conversations and testimony in the future, but I don’t have anything more to add,” Aguilar said.”

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) displayed a puzzled expression when informed about the whistleblower complaint.

After a moment’s consideration, LaMalfa said, “Well, let’s make sure that this whistleblower is a credible source. I think the proper people with the right security clearance need to do some firsthand interviews and collect some evidence on that, and then move appropriately from there.”

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said, “I haven’t heard that. But if that is the case, then certainly is concerning.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said, “I don’t know anything about that.”

Some members of Congress who are well positioned to judge the veracity of Grusch’s claims did not provide information to The Epoch Times.

A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, declined to comment. Ranking Member Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. Nor did Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), chair of  the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.

A White House spokesperson referred questions to the Department of Defense.

Jackson Richman, Samantha Flom, and Madalina Vasiliu contributed to this story.