Organisations

US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) is a standing committee of the US Senate that oversees the US intelligence community and has repeatedly pressed for government reporting on unidentified anomalous phenomena.

United States Senate · Washington, D.C., USA · US Senate standing committee

The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) is a standing committee of the US Senate responsible for oversight of the US intelligence community. Barry Goldwater served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, and was a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.¹ Harry Reid served for two years on the committee.²

Christopher K. Mellon worked as a staffer on the committee in D.C. Washington³ and later served as its Minority Staff Director.⁴ In that capacity he reviewed top-secret Sensitive Compartmented Information projects held within Special Access Programs, most of which remain classified,⁵ and monitored Area 51, a highly secure United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada test range, on the committee’s behalf.⁶

According to “Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin”, the first briefing Mellon facilitated on retrievals of unexplained objects was given to staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee on 2019-10-21, with a briefing to Senate Intelligence Committee staff following two days later.⁷ Eric Davis briefed United States Department of Defense (DoD) agencies and staff of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the government’s possession of off-world vehicles.⁸ The congressional strategy pursued by Mellon and his colleagues began by engaging key professional staff of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as members of United States Congress.⁹

In late 2020 the committee demanded that US intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense compile a report on all data collected on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), including navy pilot sightings, in what became known as the late 2020 US Senate Intelligence Committee demand for a UAP report.¹⁰ In December 2020, while serving as head of the committee, Marco Rubio asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Pentagon to present Congress with an unclassified report on UAP within a month,¹¹ and the committee ordered the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense to deliver a report within the same timeframe.¹² The report was due in June 2021 but was likely to be delayed.¹³ According to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report on the FY 2021 Intelligence Authorization Act, dated 2020-06-08, the US government did not have a unified, comprehensive process in place for collecting and analysing intelligence on UAP.¹⁴

Mark Warner, the former chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and his replacement, Marco Rubio, strongly and publicly supported UAP legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.¹⁵

David Charles Grusch’s whistleblower complaint brought the committee into a further UAP-related controversy. A summary of his complaint was submitted to the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.¹⁶ In the summer of 2022, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community was required to forward Grusch’s complaint to both committees,¹⁷ and Grusch subsequently gave 11 and a half hours of classified testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.¹⁸ Grusch has said that the two committees opened a full-field investigation after his testimony, but that there was some fear within them, especially in the Senate.¹⁹

Not everyone claiming knowledge of nonhuman craft has been willing to approach the committee. According to “The Fourth Mind”, the anonymous author of a Reddit document on nonhuman anatomy, when asked whether he had shared his account with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), refused, saying it sounded like a honey trap, that he would not place his life in the hands of politicians, and that he had no proof other than the message itself.²⁰

References (20)

Goldwater served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, and was a former SSCI chairman
“Goldwater was a very senior Senator; he served on the Armed Services Committee, the Aeronautical and Space Sciences Committee, and was a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.”
In Plain Sight ch27:19147-19327 View the source record →
Harry Reid served for two years on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
“He also served for two years on one of the Senate's most powerful committees, the Select Committee on Intelligence.”
In Plain Sight ch17:1214-1343 View the source record →
Christopher Mellon was a staffer to the committee in Washington DC
“A staffer to the powerful US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in Washington DC”
In Plain Sight ch13:7678-7761 View the source record →
Mellon served as the committee's Minority Staff Director
“has a long career at the DOD as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Minority Staff Director of the Senate Intelligence Committee.”
Tom DeLonge's 'Sekret Machines' FULL Documentary #ufo #uap 00:10:00.5-00:10:08.2
Mellon's role required review of top-secret SCI projects within Special Access Programs
“His role on the Senate Intelligence Committee staff required him to review top-secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) projects inside Special Access Programs (SAPs), most of which still remain classified.”
In Plain Sight ch13:9050-9253 View the source record →
Mellon monitored Area 51, a USAF facility in the Nevada Test and Training Range, for the committee
“One of the top-secret Department of Defense sites Mellon monitored for the Senate Intelligence Committee was Area 51, a highly secure US Air Force facility within the massive Nevada test range.”
In Plain Sight ch13:9266-9479 View the source record →
First retrieval briefing given to Senate Armed Services Committee staff on 2019-10-21, then SSCI staff two days later
“The first briefing he facilitated on retrievals of unexplained objects was provided to staff members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Oct. 21, 2019, and to staff members of the Senate Intelligence Committee two days later, as reported by The New York Times.”
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:16413-16649 View the source record →
Eric Davis briefed DoD agencies and SASC/SSCI staff on possession of off-world vehicles
“he went on to brief DoD agencies and staff members from both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on this very topic as well”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:12697-12864 View the source record →
Congressional strategy began by engaging SSCI and SASC professional staff and members of Congress
“The first step of the strategy would be to engage key professional staff on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) and the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) as well as members of Congress.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch31:1700-1896 View the source record →
In late 2020 the committee demanded a report on all UAP data, including navy pilot sightings
“in late 2020, the US's powerful Senate Intelligence Committee also demanded US intelligence agencies and the Defence Department compile a report on all data collected on UAPs, including the navy pilot sightings.”
In Plain Sight ch28:26614-26815 View the source record →
Rubio, as committee head, asked ODNI and the Pentagon for an unclassified UAP report within a month (December 2020)
“This past December, while he was still head of the Intelligence Committee, he asked the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon to present Congress an unclassified report by next month.”
Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs 00:12:34.0-00:12:45.5
The committee ordered the DNI and Secretary of Defense to deliver the report within a month
“the intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month”
Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs 00:00:27.1-00:00:36.7
The report was due in June 2021 but was likely to be delayed
“That report was due in June 2021 but was likely to be delayed.”
In Plain Sight ch28:26826-26880 View the source record →
SSCI report on the FY2021 Intelligence Authorization Act found no unified process for collecting UAP intelligence
“In the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report on the FY 2021 Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate Select Committee identified concerns that the U.S. Government did not have a unified, comprehensive process in place for collecting and analyzing intelligence on UAP.”
Unclassified Summary of Report No. DODIG-2023-109, "Evaluation of the DoD's Actions Regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena," August 15, 2023 char:5807-6081 View the source record →
Warner and Rubio publicly supported UAP legislation in the FY2023 NDAA
“Both the former chairman of the Senate Select Committee for Intelligence, Democrat Senator Mark Warner and his replacement, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, strongly and publicly supported the UAP legislation.”
In Plain Sight ch30:13954-14150 View the source record →
Summary of Grusch's complaint submitted to DNI Haines, SSCI, and HPSCI
“According to Grusch, a summary was immediately submitted to the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines; the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.”
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:12634-12836 View the source record →
In summer 2022 the Intelligence Community IG was required to forward Grusch's complaint to SSCI and HPSCI
“Admiral Haynes was forced to send it to the Senate and House Intelligence Committees. in summer 2022”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:26:23.9-00:26:29.2
Grusch gave 11 and a half hours of classified testimony to SSCI and HPSCI
“and then I subsequently provided 11 and a half hours of classified testimony to the Senate and House Intelligence Committees.”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:26:29.6-00:26:36.3
Grusch says the committees opened a full-field investigation after his testimony, with fear especially in the Senate
“Unfortunately, from what I understand, there was a little bit of fear in those committees, especially in the Senate, and they did open up some full-field investigation.”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:26:37.5-00:26:45.9
Anonymous Reddit document author refused to share his account with SSCI or AARO, fearing a honey trap
“Question 1: Amazing story. Have you shared this with the Senate Select Commission on Intelligence or with AARO and do you have evidence to back this up? Thank you, no I haven't and no I won't. It sounds like a honey trap to me. I will not place my life in the hands of politicians. I have no proof other than this message. I know it's not much but it's what I'm prepared to offer”
The Fourth Mind ch29:29749-30124

US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

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