The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have been sharing a secret phone since 2022. Several Washington officials are now calling for an investigation into the report. A former Pentagon analyst said such a relationship could raise national security concerns.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into a Wall Street Journal report that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Journal, citing current and former officials in the U.S., Europe and Russia, said Musk and Putin have been calling regularly since 2022 and “discussing personal and business matters.” Within a day of reporting, multiple Washington officials began pushing for an investigation. , and geopolitical tensions. ”
Musk did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. In a statement on the ”.
On Friday, Nelson told Semaphore that if the phone call between Musk, the world’s richest man, and President Putin is true, it “would be alarming,” especially for NASA and the Pentagon. Nelson added that the Journal’s reporting should be investigated, but did not say by which agency.
On the same day, Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico that the Pentagon was investigating Musk to ensure his actions were not “damaging” national security. He said it should be investigated.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, echoed similar claims in a post about X on Friday.
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Representatives for NASA, Representative Smith and Senator Shaheen, did not respond to requests for further comment from BI.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the Journal’s report, telling the outlet that Putin had only spoken to Musk once by phone, during which they discussed space and future technology.
In a statement to Business Insider, a Pentagon spokesperson said the Pentagon is aware of the Journal’s reports but “cannot corroborate the veracity of those reports,” adding that Musk ” He said he introduced the BI to talk about his personal correspondence.
Why Musk’s international relations matter
Billionaire SpaceX has become a central figure in federal space exploration. In 2021, it won a secret $1.8 billion contract to build a satellite network in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the government agency that manages spy satellites. The spaceflight company also supplies rockets and other equipment to the Department of Defense and NASA.
Because he works with the federal government through SpaceX, Musk has security clearances that give him access to some classified information.
Stephen Stransky, a former adviser to the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council, told BI that having foreign ties is not inherently a disqualifying factor for a security review.
Mr. Musk’s relationships with foreign governments and leaders would have been considered before such permission was granted.
“The security clearance adjudication process considers several factors, and undue foreign influence is just one of those factors,” said Stransky, now a partner at Thompson Hine LLP. said.
Stansky said the level of influence others have over Musk is unknown, but given Musk’s security clearance and professional access to state secrets, Musk’s personal relationships are of interest to the government. He said it was possible.
Robert English, a former Pentagon policy analyst who held a top national security position and is now director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California, said that those with “friendly relations” with Putin typically have a security background. He said the permit would be refused.
The newspaper reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that during the conversation, President Putin asked Musk not to launch the Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan, and that Chinese leader Xi Jinping The request was made on behalf of.
“Even if Mr. Musk doesn’t comply with that request, that’s too much power in the hands of this one individual,” English said.
The existence of an ongoing Musk-Putin relationship will be further complicated by the billionaire tech leader’s recent foray into US politics.
Both Trump and Musk have said the billionaire is a likely candidate for the former president’s cabinet. President Trump said in a speech in September that if re-elected he planned to create a government efficiency commission that Musk would oversee, but Tesla’s CEO said he was “waiting” to chair the commission. I can’t do it,” he said.
“It’s important to know now whether Mr. Musk is not fully loyal to the United States or whether he is in trafficking with our adversaries,” English said.
