An expert on UFOs says President Donald Trump’s move to declassify decades-old government files on UFOs could reveal a potential “cover-up” and expose many federal secrets. 

“The government for decades has investigated UFOs. I think it’s undeniable that the government has looked at this for decades. They’ve had multiple programs,” former U.K. Defense Ministry official and UFO expert Nick Pope told Fox News Digital.

“A lot of people believe that there is a smoking gun somewhere in the files. It is a very widely held belief that elements in the U.S. intelligence community know that some of this is extraterrestrial and have documents and files relating to this. And that, of course, is what everyone really wants to know. That’s the $64,000 question,” Pope said. 

The CIA told Fox News Digital it “has made records available to the public for decades and they can be accessed on our website. We would refer further guidance to the DOD and DNI.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“Everyone else has been picking away at the knot. He will just cut through it. And maybe Elon Musk will help him with this. If there is this multi-decade conspiracy, they will find it. They will expose it, and they will release it to the people.

“It’s an issue that kind of would unite everyone, I think, because who wouldn’t be interested in this?”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., will lead the new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets and other documents in the public interest. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., appointed Luna to chair the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.

A Pentagon official told Congress the agency has solved a prominent UFO mystery from 2016 that showed what appears to be an object flying at a high speed just above water. (Defense Department, left, C-SPAN, right)

“For too long, the federal government has kept information of public interest classified, and the American people are demanding greater transparency. This secrecy has sowed distrust in our institutions,” Comer told Fox News Digital. 

He noted that the task force will “build on the Trump administration’s efforts to declassify records of national importance and ensure Americans get the answers they deserve.” 

“Rep. Luna is committed to shining a light on the truth and ending the era of secrecy,” Comer said. “It’s time to let the sunlight in and finally provide answers the American public has long demanded.”

Luna told Fox News Digital the task force is expected to announce members of the team in the coming weeks.

“We will work alongside President Trump and his Cabinet members to deliver truth to the American people,” she said. “From this moment forward, we will restore trust through transparency.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.