US congressman Tim Burchett has claimed that humans have made contact with aliens in shock new interview.
The question of whether we are alone in the universe has seeped into mainstream politics more so than ever. What was once the territory of conspiracy theorists has gradually crept into government briefings and public statements.
Donald Trump has been rumoured to be planning to address the topic of aliens and UFOs when 'the time is right,' while, at the same time, criticising former president Barack Obama for publicly claiming that aliens are 'real.'
Meanwhile, NASA's Artemis programme has been cited by astronauts themselves as a potential first step toward answering the biggest question in human history.
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Now, a US Congressman, Tim Burchett, has made some insane claims about what he's seen, and the viral interview has already racked up close to four million views in a matter of days.
Speaking to TMZ, Burchett claimed a member of government told him extraterrestrial beings have visited our planet and travelled on an 'otherworldly craft' to 'make contact with humans.'
The Tennessee Congressman said he had attended a classified briefing on the subject at a secure facility, though he was limited in what details he could share publicly.
"So there have been different reports over the years. Some reports that there have been pieces of machinery that were found that did not seem Earthly," the TMZ reporter explained. "And then there have been reports about life that is not Earthly."
The TMZ reporter then asked Burchett: "Which one or those two or both are you talking about?"
The politician simply replied: "I'd say you'd be safe to say both."
Burchett also revealed that a high-ranking Navy official had spoken to him directly on the subject, telling him: "Tim, they're real."
But fear not, as the Congressman doesn't believe humanity is at any risk of harm.
"I don't think that we're at danger of this. I mean if these things exist as I think they do, they could've destroyed us with a blink of an eye," he argued. "But I do think they have the technology and capabilities of something that we can't understand or we can't grasp."
When the TMZ interviewer pressed him on the sheer scale of what he was suggesting, Burchette admitted that the whole ordeal is 'pretty wild'.
He also made clear he stands fully behind everything he said, adding that he would be willing to take a polygraph test to prove he was telling the truth.
For now, the details remain largely under wraps, and an official government announcement on the matter feels some way off. But the fact that a sitting US Congressman is making these claims on camera is arguably the closest we've come to an answer yet.