Former Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch has once again thrust the government transparency debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena into the national spotlight, this time by directly naming the late Vice President Dick Cheney as the official who oversaw what Grusch describes as a secretive program involving the detention of non-human beings recovered from crashed craft.
Grusch made the explosive claim during an appearance on the Dr. Phil Podcast, marking one of his most specific public statements yet since he first testified before Congress in 2023 about alleged government programs to recover debris and vehicles of what he called “non-human” origin. The New York Post and other outlets have amplified the claims, though it is important to stress that Grusch’s account remains an allegation that has not been independently verified or confirmed by any government agency.
According to Grusch, he spoke with a former U.S. official who reportedly managed a classified file on behalf of a former vice president.
When pressed to identify who that vice president was, Grusch invoked the nickname long used by critics to describe Cheney’s outsized influence within the Bush administration, calling him “Darth Vader,” a clear reference to the man many conservatives remember as one of the most powerful and secretive figures ever to hold the office.
Grusch went further, describing what he called a “detainment situation” in which individuals with direct interactions with recovered beings, whom he referred to as “pilots,” were involved in something resembling a containment or holding process. He acknowledged the claim sounds like something out of “Star Trek” but insisted he stands by the accuracy of what has been relayed to him by sources he considers credible.
The former intelligence officer estimated that the U.S. government possesses somewhere between 25 and 100 recovered craft, some of which he claims contained living non-human occupants.
He also described an alleged form of communication between government personnel and these beings that he characterized as a kind of consciousness-based interaction, similar to what others have described as telepathy, though he admitted he cannot explain the underlying mechanism.
Grusch’s claims did not begin with this podcast appearance. He first drew national attention in June 2023 when he told Congress, under oath, that the United States has operated a multi-decade program to recover and reverse engineer vehicles of non-human origin. That testimony, delivered alongside two other military veterans, was one of the most closely watched congressional hearings of the year and helped fuel a broader push in Washington for declassification of government UFO-related records.
During that original testimony, Grusch stopped short of confirming certain details in open session, telling lawmakers he could only elaborate further in a secure facility known as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF.
He was also asked directly whether the government had experienced any contact with non-human intelligence and whether anyone had been killed to cover up related information, questions he largely deflected in the public setting.
Grusch has said his conclusions are based not on personal firsthand observation of alien craft or bodies, but on testimony gathered from more than 40 individuals he interviewed over roughly four years while serving on a government task force dedicated to unidentified anomalous phenomena. He has described those sources as having a longstanding track record of legitimacy and service to the country, some of whom he says provided supporting evidence in the form of photography, documentation, and classified oral testimony.
The Cheney connection is likely to generate significant discussion given his reputation as one of the most secretive and powerful vice presidents in modern American history.
Cheney, who died in 2025, was widely known during his time in office for his deep involvement in national security matters and his skepticism toward transparency on classified programs, making him a natural focal point for renewed speculation about what the government may or may not know regarding unidentified phenomena.
