Neil deGrasse Tyson on UFO claims: 'We would know about it'

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson pushed back on claims that the government is hiding information about UFOs and aliens from the American public.

“Do you think the government is that competent, that they can actually keep such a secret? Oh, my gosh, when did you get that much confidence in the U.S. government?” Tyson said to TMZ.

Tyson argued that with the availability of smartphones and cameras, more people besides the U.S. government would know if there was an “alien invasion.”

“Here's what I'd rather think: that if we had an alien invasion, more than the US government would know about,” he said. “We would know about it. We, with cameras and smartphones, we are crowdsourcing an alien invasion of Earth because everybody has a camera, high-resolution camera.”

He added, however, that the government should investigate UFOs.

“We have things we don't understand in the sky. I think the government should investigate them,” he said. “Because I don't want to be susceptible to a risk that we don't otherwise know about.”

Tyson's comments come as the topic of UFOs has gained prominence in U.S. politics in recent months after David Grusch, an Air Force veteran and former member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, claimed the government is holding back information about them.

The subject was touched on at last week's Republican primary debate, when GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie was asked whether he would be transparent with the American people about what the government knows regarding UFO encounters if he were president.

“I get the UFO question?” Christie joked in response to the question, before calling for more transparency on the topic.

"The job of the president of the United States is to level with the American people about everything. The job of the president of the United States is to stand for truth," the former New Jersey governor said.

A House Oversight subcommittee last month held a hearing into unidentified aerial phenomena, or UFOs, where witnesses, including Grusch, and lawmakers accused the Pentagon of covering up information regarding the phenomena.

Grusch made numerous claims, but often told lawmakers he could only provide specifics in a confidential setting when asked to provide details.