News · 15 October 2026
Kirkpatrick answers Stratton: "There is no legacy program"
statement · PARADIGM (Ben Schreckinger) · Original source
The founding director of AARO, Sean Kirkpatrick, answered the central allegation of Jay Stratton's new memoir Out of the Shadows: that a "Legacy Program" retrieving and reverse-engineering non-human craft exists, and that Kirkpatrick was controlled by it. Kirkpatrick called the claim absurd and accused Stratton, without naming a statute, of national-security violations. Former Senate staffer Kirk McConnell said Stratton had not shared such information with the committees he staffed, and a Senate source who dealt with both men said he had seen evidence for neither side's accusations.
Facts and claims
- claimed Responding to Stratton's claim in his book that he "was compromised and controlled by the Legacy Program", Kirkpatrick told PARADIGM: "That's the most absurd thing I've heard today." He said the only classified information Congress holds on "this fictitious program" is what he and others presented "on what violations of national security law Jay and his band of pseudo-scientists have committed", without naming the law, and added: "There is no legacy program." — Sean Kirkpatrick Source: paradigm.news (archived)
- claimed Former Senate staffer Kirk McConnell wrote: "I do not recall Jay ever sharing this information with staff from the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees", adding that as head of the task force Stratton was likely not in a position to reveal it then, and "I welcome his statements." — Kirk McConnell Source: paradigm.news (archived)
- claimed Harry Reid's former chief of staff Susan McCue said of Stratton's claim that Reid was mistakenly briefed on the program: "I've heard that a few times but am not able to confirm". An unnamed Senate investigator who dealt with both men said: "I have not seen any evidence." Source: paradigm.news (archived)
Connected files
People
- Sean Kirkpatrick (features)
- Kirk McConnell (features)
- Jay Stratton (about)
- Harry Reid (mentions) — Reid's former chief of staff could not confirm Stratton's claim that Reid was mistakenly briefed
Books
Programs
- Legacy program (about)
Mentioned in this file
- Crash retrieval & reverse engineering (Concept)
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (Program)
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