Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett told the Daily Mail that if a conspiracy against the US scientific community was unfolding, he was concerned that the source may actually originate on US soil, not in a foreign country.

He suspected that a plot similar to the actions of the infamous Cold War-era CIA program MKUltra, which allegedly kidnapped and drugged scientists, may be taking place in present-day America.  

Burchett said: 'I just go back to the whole concept of MKUltra. They kidnap people, [and] they loaded them up with acid or other mind-altering drugs. They tried to erase their memories.'

'And then they were sued in court. And then they claimed that it didn't exist. Then in 1975, they ordered a bunch of the records disposed of or destroyed. And then they come out later and said, "well, that it did exist, but it doesn't exist anymore." You know, which lies are we supposed to believe?'

A federal investigation has reportedly been opened into the collection of NASA-linked scientists, nuclear lab workers and a retired Air Force general who have either died or mysteriously vanished since 2022.

President Trump said on April 16: 'I hope it is random, but we are going to know in the next week and a half.'

Burchett, who has previously slammed the intelligence community for not responding to his attempts to get answers on the case, claimed that federal agents may end up withholding what they learn from the president as well.

'I'm in a meeting with some little punk bureaucrat with a man bun telling me that "the president's on a need-to-know basis." That, to me, sends a very chilling message for what's really going on out there,' Burchett said.

While discussing the investigation, Trump previously said: 'I just left a meeting on that subject, so pretty serious stuff. Hopefully, coincidence... but some of them were very important people, and we are going to look at it.'

However, the congressman revealed that it will likely be Washington intelligence officers briefing Trump on the deaths and disappearances, adding that 'they're not in the business of telling anybody the truth, or doing what's right.'

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Mail: 'The White House continues to coordinate across the interagency in order to investigate these events and provide transparency to the American people.'

'We will not get ahead of the investigation,' Kelly added. The Trump Administration did not mention Burchett's comments in their statement.

The Tennessee lawmaker and other members of Congress have publicly expressed their concern over the alleged pattern of alarming incidents involving Americans who reportedly had access to classified information and national security secrets.