A UFO hunter who worked in the Pentagon testified under oath to Congress on Wednesday that he signed documents limiting what he could say about crash retrievals of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), formerly described as unidentified flying objects (UFO).

Luis Elizondo, an author and former Department of Defense (DoD) official, appeared for a hearing on Capitol Hill, titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” alongside other witnesses.

Under questioning from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who chaired the hearing and asked about secret UAP crash retrieval programs, Elizondo said he signed documents three years ago restricting what he could say.

Secret UAP Crash Retrieval Programs

"Were they designed to identify and reverse engineer alien craft? Yes or no?" – Rep. Nancy Mace

"Yes." – Lue Elizondo pic.twitter.com/FeAb8PNFv4

— Mike Colangelo (@MikeColangelo) November 13, 2024

He did say “yes” to the questions of whether the U.S. government has conducted covert UAP crash retrievals and whether these programs were designed to identify and reverse engineer “alien” craft.

Elizondo emphasized that for him to speak more candidly, he would have to do so in a closed session and stressed that he was only allowed to discuss what the Pentagon approved for disclosure for his recent book.

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During another exchange, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) got Elizondo to testify that the “U.S. government” gave him the documentation to sign that prevented him from speaking further on crash retrieval programs.

If none of this UAP stuff exists, if it’s all false, why at every turn are people trying to stop transparency? You can’t talk about fight club if there’s no fight club. pic.twitter.com/otPGNbwu71

— Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) November 13, 2024

Elizondo said he did not have a copy of the record and that it was stored in a SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility). He said the DoD had it, but indicated he could not reveal much more than that publicly.

“You specifically said that the document said that you can’t talk about crash retrievals. Well, you can’t talk about fight club if there’s no fight club,” Moskowitz quipped, making a reference to the movie “Fight Club.”

Elizondo also said, while facing questions from Mace, he would “prefer” to address whether U.S. contractors have been involved in retrieval programs in a closed setting. And he affirmed there have been injuries.

“In your book, you mention government employees who have been injured by UAPs, placed on leave, and receiving government compensation for their injuries, is that correct?”

After Elizondo replied in the affirmative, Mace asked, “How can the government deny that we have recovered craft if they are paying people because they’ve been injured by recovered craft?”

Elizondo said: “That’s why I think we’re here — again — because I’ve seen the documentation by the U.S. government for several of these individuals who have sustained injuries as the result of a UAP incident.”

In posts to X that followed, Mace declared, “If I hear closed session conversation one more time I am going to lose it,” and, “I’m fed up with the government’s efforts to hide this from American taxpayers.”

The congresswoman also posted: “If it doesn’t exist, why are we spending taxpayer dollars on something that isn’t real? And if it does exist, why is it being deliberately hidden from the public?”

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