Representative Anna Paulina Luna said, “We will be getting those files,” after reporting that the Pentagon missed an April 14 deadline to provide dozens of videos documenting alleged encounters with unidentified anomalous phenomena.
A March letter signed by Luna, a Florida Republican, sought over 45 videos reported to include spherical, cigar-shaped and “Tic Tac”-like objects recorded by U.S. military platforms over war zones, oceans and restricted airspace, with incidents said to include activity near Iran, Syria, U.S. bases and airports, and a 2023 incident over Lake Huron. The letter was addressed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Luna, who chairs the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, had already criticized the Pentagon on Tuesday, writing on social media: “No one from the Pentagon had responded until we reached out, and it appears that someone did not pass the letter to the appropriate authorities. How convenient.”
Newsweek contacted Luna’s office and the Defense Department for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
According to a 2021 Pew Research survey, about two-thirds of Americans said they believed intelligent life likely exists on other planets. In February, President Donald Trump announced he would direct his administration to start identifying and releasing government files concerning unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life, but that directive has not been upheld, according to Luna.
What To Know
Speaking to former Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who now hosts a self-titled show on the One America News Network, Luna said the Pentagon did not meet the deadline she set for the agency to release the documents.
“I had my staff reach out because I said, ‘Have they even responded?'” she said. “And then I had to call the White House because the Pentagon refused to respond.”
“They then confirmed receipt and sent us a cute response over to House Oversight, which is where my task force is at, basically stated they would brief us at a future date. But that’s not really their call to make,” Luna added.
She continued: “Obviously, I would consider myself friends with Secretary Hegseth and definitely understood President Trump’s directive to declassify all these files.
“So whoever’s trying to be cute at the Pentagon is about to get rolled because a) that’s not up to them; b) Pete would not undermine the president; and c) this stuff has been ordered for release.
“And so we will be getting those files, whether or not they agree with us.”
What Happens Next
Hegseth told reporters in February he did not have a time frame for the release of the files ordered by Trump.
He said: “I don’t want to oversell how much time it will take, right? We’re digging in. We’re going to be in full compliance with that executive order, eager to provide that for the president. So there’ll be more coming on that as far as the process of what we’ll do.”
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