Senator Dan Sullivan Reveals Details Of U.S. Military Operation To Shoot Down Object Over Alaska

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) called the effort to shoot down an unidentified object over Alaskan air late this week a “varsity-level” military operation.

Sullivan’s remarks come after the Pentagon said on Friday that it shot down an object roughly the size of a small car several miles off the coast of Alaska.

“This is varsity-level military operation,” Sullivan said during an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto. “A lot of people don’t understand the challenge and professionalism and just incredible military effort that occurs when you do an op like this.”

“Alaska is a huge state with giant airspace. This included F-22s, F-35s, F-16s, Alaska National Guard tankers,” he continued. “We have rescue operation units that are on the ground right now doing a search for this operation, so really, really incredible work that the Alaska military has done and is continuing to do.”

Sullivan said that the area where the object was shot down was “one of the most important energy areas in America.”

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Sullivan’s comments come as an experienced F-15 fighter pilot told the media on Friday that some of the details released by U.S. officials on the incident are “unusual.” The unidentified object reportedly had a “cylindrical shape” and was much smaller in size than the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down last week.

“We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose, or origin,” said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. “The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina.”

A U.S. official told Politico that the object did not appear to have any “observable surveillance equipment.” The object was reportedly flying around 40,000 feet, making it a threat to civilian aircraft.

Randy Reep, an experienced F-15 pilot, said the size of the object was suspicious.

“In modern times, the opportunity to see drones in the air is not uncommon,” said Reep. “What you’re seeing that’s unusual is the size of these unmanned vehicles that are transient in our airspace.”

Reep said that U.S. officials would not shoot down the object “until they knew it was an unmanned vehicle.”

“They will have to wait to have all the data so they can provide a good briefing on the exact situation that it was,” Reep said.

Related: U.S. Military Shoots Down Unidentified Object Over Alaska

Names Of Alleged Jeffrey Epstein Associates, Perpetrators To Be Revealed Through Unsealed Docs: Report

Names of individuals allegedly tied to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be released through unsealed court documents in the coming months, according to a new report. 

Previously sealed documents with information on alleged Epstein associates, perpetrators, victims, employees, and others will be made public, according to The Daily Mail, which first reported on the new court filings pertaining to Virginia Giuffre’s 2015 lawsuit against former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell

 A total of 167 names could be made public when the documents are unsealed, according to a list of “non-objecting Does” filed this week. The Mail reported that Prince Andrew, who has been accused of sexual assault by Giuffre, is expected to be included in the documents. 

Several of the currently unidentified individuals from the list have reportedly already been identified through media interviews or previously publicly available documents, including a former employee and an alleged associate.

Other names reportedly to be included in the documents are employees of Maxwell, alleged victims, and law enforcement officials linked to the case. For example, John Doe 18, an assistant state district attorney, already appears in an available police report, according to the filing.  

John Doe 23, an alleged perpetrator, was accused of playing a role in Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme and has since died after the original case. His connection to the case has already been reported in the media, according to the filing. 

Also dead is John Doe 24, allegedly an associate of Alan Dershowitz, who was sued by Giuffre before she dropped the case against him. Other names that will reportedly be unsealed are that of a journalist “who investigated Epstein,” a former U.S. assistant attorney, and a “former FBI director.”

The new documents, expected to shed light on individuals who have been linked to Epstein, come as information continues to trickle out as media organizations and others ask for full access to documents pertaining to Giuffre’s 2015 case against Maxwell. 

In previously released documents from the case, an alleged victim of Epstein said in unsealed emails that she had copies of blackmail videos that the deceased financier took of his associates.

“When my friend had sexual intercourse with [redacted] and [redacted], sex tapes were in fact filmed on each occasion by Jeffrey,” Sarah Ransome claimed in an email. “Thank God she managed to get ahold of some footage of the filmed sex tapes which clearly identify the faces of [redacted] and [redacted] having sexual intercourse with her. Frustratingly enough Epstein was not seen in any of the footage but he was clever like that.”