'Yang for Area 51': Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said he would 'love' to declassify Area 51 if he could to promote 'government transparency'
- Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 race, said he would 'love' to declassify Area 51, because he is a 'huge fan' of government transparency.
- The statement is in reference to a viral Facebook event to "storm Area 51" and "see them aliens," with 1.7 million people marked "going" on Facebook and another 1.3 indicating interest on the Sept. 20 event.
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Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 race, said he would 'love' to declassify Area 51, because he is a 'huge fan' of government transparency.
"So I have to see what the information is, but if it's something I could declassify, I would love to do that," Yang told CBS News. "I'm a huge fan of transparency and anything that isn't going to do the public harm, so if I become privy to any information about aliens or Area 51 or anything that I am able to share, I will share it."
Yang's statement comes in response to a viral Facebook event to "storm Area 51" and "see them aliens," with 1.7 million people marked "going" on Facebook, and another 1.3 indicating interest on the Sept. 20 event.
The joke even reached the attention of the US Air Force, prompting a warning to the potential participants to stay away from the military base.
"The United States Air Force is aware of the Facebook post," Air Force spokesman Maj. Ethan Stroker said. "The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft. As a matter of practice, we do not discuss specific security measures, but any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous."
Area 51 is an active, highly classified Air Force base in the Nevada desert and is the subject of a fair number of conspiracy theories revolving around aliens and UFOs.
"If you want to know what's going on in Area 51, you know who you need to get in the White House in 2020," Yang said with a laugh. "That's Yang for Area 51, and really, full disclosure. That's where our government should be. Transparency in all things, as long as it's not going to hurt the national interest."
Nonetheless, "You should probably not storm Area 51," he added after the fact.