Grusch Accuses Former DNI Clapper of Managing UFO Cover-Up

In a revealing interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, David Grusch made his most direct accusations yet against former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. According to Grusch, Clapper did not simply observe UAP crash retrieval programs during his tenure overseeing all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. He actively managed them and placed people in critical roles to control what information reached the public and what stayed hidden.

Grusch expressed disappointment that Clapper, a fellow Air Force officer who rose to three-star general, only acknowledged awareness of a program tracking UAPs over Area 51 in The Age of Disclosure documentary. According to Grusch, this represents only a fraction of what Clapper actually knows. The whistleblower stated that during Clapper’s time as DNI, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and DIA Director from 2010 to 2017, he installed personnel both publicly and non-publicly to manage the crash retrieval issue.

The interview also revealed structural details about how secrecy is maintained across agencies. According to Grusch, the CIA handles oversight, the Air Force manages retrievals, the Department of Energy conceals nuclear connections, and private contractors perform reverse engineering work. This structure explains why Freedom of Information requests often return empty, as materials sit with private companies where federal transparency laws do not apply.

When asked about central leadership, Grusch identified the late Vice President Dick Cheney as the last person to have unified control over these activities. Since Cheney left office in 2009, according to Grusch, there has been no single authority capable of authorizing disclosure, leaving programs fragmented across agencies and contractors for 16 years.

James Clapper

Grusch also revealed that Congress sent legal interrogatories to the CIA regarding crash retrieval operations. According to him, the agency gave what he called an extremely disrespectful response, simply referring lawmakers to the Pentagon’s AARO office without answering their questions. He pointed investigators toward the CIA’s Director of Science and Technology and long-term officials within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as starting points.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who chairs the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, corroborated the stonewalling during the same interview. She described being denied access to UAP footage at Eglin Air Force Base and finding a workaround by asking military witnesses to draw what they saw rather than show the classified imagery.

Grusch has now joined Congressman Eric Burlison’s staff to help develop an investigation plan. Representative Nancy Mace has stated she wants a secure facility briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after learning more from The Age of Disclosure documentary than from official congressional hearings. The question now is whether the current administration will act on these allegations.

Sources

Airaud, G. F. (2023, June 14). 50-year-old report backs Pentagon Whistleblower’s claims on UAP. UAP Check. https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/2023-03-29-declassified-documents-the-harry-turner-bombshell/

Megyn Kelly. (2026, January 7). Cea Weaver Meltdown and Crying Dokoupil, with Halperin, and Truth About UFOs, w/ Grusch & Rep. Luna [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y96myyma5XA

O. H. TURNER. (1971). SCIENTIFIC AND INTELLIGENCE ASPECTS OF THE UFO PROBLEM. https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/australia/A13693_3092-2-000_30030606.pdf