However, circa 2013, D'Amato issued a statement about the UFO inquiry on his now-defunct website in which he asserted: "[A] senior Senate Committee chairman asked me to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations that came to his attention regarding unidentified aerial crashes in the 1940s in New Mexico. I met with a number of people who had made public statements on the matter.
At some point, circa 2013, D'Amato released a statement about the UFO investigation on his now-shut-down website, stating that he was asked to look into claims of unidentified aerial incidents in New Mexico during the 1940s. He met with several people who had publicly discussed the issue.