MUSK HOLDS CONTROVERSIAL PENTAGON TALKS AMID SECURITY CONCERNS
WASHINGTON — Billionaire Elon Musk met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for 80 minutes Friday in an unprecedented visit that has raised questions about access to sensitive information and potential conflicts of interest.
The meeting, part of Musk’s White House-backed initiative to cut federal spending, came amid controversy over a New York Times report claiming Musk would be briefed on classified war plans regarding China—an allegation strongly denied by Musk, President Donald Trump, and Pentagon officials.
“There was no war plans, no Chinese war plans. There was no secret plans,” Hegseth told reporters at the White House following the meeting, describing the conversation as an informal discussion focused on “innovation and efficiencies.”
A planned follow-up meeting between Musk and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a secure Pentagon room known as “The Tank” was canceled amid the controversy.
The visit has prompted concern from Democratic lawmakers, with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth demanding details about what information was shared with Musk.
“There is no legitimate national security or other rationale for providing this information to Mr. Musk,” they wrote in a letter to Secretary Hegseth.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s existing Pentagon contracts have intensified scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest as he advises on government spending cuts. Musk’s companies could potentially benefit from Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which would require numerous satellites for ballistic missile detection.
Before the meeting, Musk called for prosecution of Pentagon officials he claimed were leaking “maliciously false information” about his visit. Hours later, Hegseth’s chief of staff issued a memo calling for an investigation into “unauthorized disclosures of national security information,” including possible polygraph tests.
President Trump addressed concerns about potential conflicts given Musk’s business interests in China. “Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that,” Trump acknowledged, while adding, “I don’t want to show [war plans] to anybody.”
The episode comes as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has ordered investigations into leaks from the intelligence community, continuing a pattern from Trump’s first term when his administration referred more media leaks for criminal investigation than in any of the previous 15 years, according to Justice Department records.
Musk, appearing in good spirits after the meeting, told reporters, “If there’s anything I can do to be helpful, I would like us to have a good outcome here.”
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MUSK HOLDS CONTROVERSIAL PENTAGON TALKS AMID SECURITY CONCERNS