GOP's top UFO crusader brands ex-Pentagon chief a 'documented liar' as files expose America's darkest alien secrets

By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 21:59, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 22:03, 8 May 2026 Rep. Anna Paulina Luna celebrated the Pentagon’s public release of UFO files on Friday, declaring victory over officials in the government who have tried to block their release for decades.  'It's the only time in history that the federal government has admitted there's stuff we can't explain regarding UAPs - and we're giving it to the American people to decide,' she told the Daily Mail exclusively. 'There's more to come.'  The bombshell tranche, including pictures, videos, and eyewitness accounts of unexplained aerial encounters spanning decades, was unveiled by the Trump administration on Friday morning. Luna chairs the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, which has spearheaded the push to pry open Pentagon files on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. She previewed further disclosures within the next 30 days and said she would hold a press conference with task force members next week. 'This is proof that we were not hiding the ball - we were very serious about our investigations,' she said. Luna reserved particular scorn for former Pentagon UAP chief Sean Kirkpatrick, who stepped down as director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in December 2023.  Luna told the Daily Mail she felt entirely vindicated. 'The former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick is now a documented liar,' she said. 'He said this stuff didn't exist - and now you're seeing that, obviously, he was not telling the truth.'  Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, chairs the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets In this handout image provided by the Department of War an actual site photo with FBI Lab rendered graphic overlay depicting corroborating eyewitness reports from September 2023 of an apparent ellipsoid bronze metallic object Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office at the Defense Department  Kirkpatrick disputed Luna's claims, telling the Daily Mail in a statement there was nothing unexpected in the files released by the Pentagon on Friday. 'There’s nothing unexpected in their release, and without any analysis or context, will only serve to fuel more speculation, conspiracy and arm-chair pseudoscience, particularly from the playhouse politics theater company,' he said in response to Luna's comments. 'There’s still no aliens nor proof of a government conspiracy,' Kirkpatrick added that Luna should 'stop inflicting her ignorance on the rest of us.' 'People cry "liar" when the truth doesn’t conform to their belief even when the evidence contradicts them,' he said. Luna told the Daily Mail she has discussed the issue with President Trump for years, praising him for following through on his pledge of transparency. 'Whereas previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new documents and videos, the people can decide for themselves,' the President wrote on social media Friday. '"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Have fun and enjoy!' Trump had ordered the Pentagon in February to release its UAP files, demanding full transparency. An image from the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters Rep. Anna Paulina Luna praised the President for delivering the documents to the public  Luna said it was ultimately for people worldwide to make up their own minds about what the files revealed. 'We're not going to tell people what to believe - that's not the job of the federal government,' she said. 'But it is our job to ensure that the American people have transparency, and they can decide for themselves.' She brushed aside critics who accused the President of using the release to distract from the war in Iran and soaring gas prices. 'This has been in the works for a while,' she said, pointing to Trump's February order. 'Not related.' Luna credited the President's cabinet for making the disclosures possible, singling out FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and - above all - Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. 'This could not have happened without full cooperation from the administration and the directors of those agencies,' she said, before warning that the battle was not yet over. 'There are still people embedded within these agencies who have been obstructionists - trying to slow, delay, and stall the administration's directive. But as you can see, it didn't work.' Luna has led the charge on UAP declassification from the front, appearing on Joe Rogan's podcast in August to build public momentum for her campaign. Her colleague Rep. Tim Burchett also joined Rogan on Thursday to preview the release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) Rep. Anna Paulina Luna previewed her efforts to release government UFO files in August during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast  Luna credited Rogan for ‘leading the charge’ on transparency efforts, citing the enormous impact of his massive audience on their efforts in Congress. ‘I actually applaud people like Joe Rogan, someone that you wouldn't consider a mainstream journalist, but on this topic specifically, he has one of the biggest reaches in the world, and we're very happy to have his support,’ she said. Government possession of documented evidence surrounding UFOs and aliens has long been a topic of discussion surrounding the American presidency. Former President Barack Obama famously said in an interview in February that he believed aliens were ‘real,’ but has since walked back those statements in a public statement on social media. On Tuesday, Obama said that if evidence surrounding aliens and the government was real, it would have leaked. Luna hinted that Obama’s shifting rhetoric surrounding the existence of UFOs and aliens likely had to do with communications with internal government officials. ‘Yeah, I think he got a phone call and I’ll just leave it at that, she said. At the time of Obama's remarks, Trump said that the former President had revealed ‘classified information’ and that he was ‘not supposed to be doing that.’ President Trump, however, has reserved his opinions on the existence of aliens. ‘I don't know if they're real or not,’ he said in February. 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