Whether it's hiding Aliens or (more realistically) some really nasty secrets from the Cold War Era, You got the army independently operating a structure on home soil, syphoning public money without having to answer to no one.
Taking the words of Government officials who have the blessing of the military to "whistleblow" is just not good enough.
We currently have no evidence otherwise, and our best hopes (in my lifetime atleast) are finding ocean dwelling creatures on moons in the solar system that have no technology capable of reaching Earth.
It's just outrageous to think we are a unique possibility in the entire universe given how many stars and galaxies we have discovered.
It's important to underscore just how big the universe is
There may be some more life out there. But even with lightspeed engines they are so far away as to not really exist in a meaningful sense.
With our limited technology w/r/t space, they are functionally non-existent
Firstly, the universe's infinity is not a settled matter; current cosmology suggests it's vast but finite, but of course, there's no absolute answer to this (yet). I'd also look to the Drake Equation when considering this point, which illustrates the myriad factors and sheer number of uncertainties involved in the development of "advanced civilisations".
So, yeah: while advanced civilisations are certainly possible, they may not be as probable as you suggest, even in a universe brimming with stars and planets.
And yet once again were here, already taking the unfounded conspiracy more seriously than it deserves to be.
And in fact, I see the causes being the same. People are losing control. Losing the excitement of the capitalist consumer treadmill. Searching for answers and clarity. What would solve all of my problems that the single largest shift in human history! Jesus's return! I mean aliens!
Luckily, no skeptic of the UFO narrative has just the government's word as evidence to the contrary.
What's weird is that the same people claiming you shouldn't trust the government when it denies the UFO narrative are using the government and its integrity to argue that Grusch et. al must be telling the truth, that Grusch is a man of unquestioned integrity and honor and no one would just go in front of Congress and tell lies. The same government which has apparently been orchestrating a sprawling conspiracy of lies and psy-ops around UFOs for almost a hundred years, but for some weird reason respects the bureaucracy enough that they'll just let Grusch blow the lid off of the whole affair.
Even though that hasn't really happened yet. I'm sure it'll happen any day now.
You can't have it both ways.