Sonali Ray, writer
Brief news
- Two Democratic senators have called for an investigation into Elon Musk’s alleged communications with Russian officials, citing national security concerns due to his role as CEO of SpaceX, which holds significant Pentagon contracts.
- The senators expressed worries about Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and the potential risks posed by his connections with adversarial nations.
- They emphasized the need for increased competition in the space industry and reconsideration of SpaceX’s dominance in defense contracts amid rising tensions with Russia.
Detailed news
In a letter obtained by Reuters on Friday, two senior Democratic senators stated that the Pentagon and law enforcement agencies should conduct an investigation into allegations that billionaire Elon Musk has engaged in numerous phone contacts with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, on the basis of national security.
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Musk to a senior government position. In his capacity as CEO of SpaceX, an aerospace corporation, Musk is responsible for billions of dollars in Pentagon and intelligence-community contracts.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Armed Services Committee chair Jack Reed informed U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Pentagon’s inspector general that Musk’s involvement in those SpaceX programs should be investigated for potential debarment and exclusion in light of recent reports of his conversations with Russian officials, which occurred as recently as October. Debarment is the process of being excluded from specific contracts and privileges.
In a joint letter dated Friday, the legislators expressed concern about the reliability of Mr. Musk as a government contractor and clearance holder, citing the relationships between a well-known U.S. adversary and Mr. Musk, a beneficiary of billions of dollars in U.S. government funding.
The letter to the U.S. officials who could initiate such an investigation has not been previously reported, despite the fact that numerous Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for an inquiry into Musk’s communications with Moscow since a Wall Street Journal report last month on the alleged contact.
As Trump prepares to return to the White House with the support of Musk, who spent over $119 million on Trump’s reelection campaign and was appointed co-head of the president-elect’s forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency, the call by Shaheen and Reed for a federal probe is a longshot endeavor..
SpaceX, Musk, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment. Similar inquiries were not promptly addressed by the Justice Department and Pentagon.
Russian contacts have been reported.
Political scientist Ian Bremmer, president of consulting firm Eurasia Group, stated that Musk informed him that he had conversed with Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict and Russia’s red line for the use of nuclear weapons in 2022. This information was disclosed in reports. Musk refuted Bremmer’s assertion and stated that he had only conversed with Putin about space 18 months prior.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S., European, and Russian officials, reported last month that Musk has engaged in numerous discussions with Russian officials, including Putin and his first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko.
In the letter, Shaheen and Reed expressed their “deepest concern” regarding Musk’s purported discussions with Kiriyenko. This year, the U.S. Justice Department charged him, along with other Russian officials, with leading an AI-powered propaganda campaign on Musk’s social media platform X and other sites to advance Russian interests and sway voters in advance of the U.S. presidential election.
Musk has publicly asserted that he possesses a U.S. security clearance, which grants him access to confidential information at SpaceX. SpaceX is the recipient of billions of dollars in Pentagon and NASA launch contracts. Reuters has also reported that the corporation has a $1.8 billion intelligence-community contract to construct a vast spy satellite network.
“The potential to jeopardize our security exists in the communications between Russian government officials and any individual with a security clearance,” the legislators stated in the letter.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, tensions between the United States and Russia in space have increased. This year, Pentagon officials have accused Russia of developing a space-based nuclear weapon capable of disabling large satellite networks and have condemned suspect maneuvers by Russian satellites in orbit.
NASA and the Pentagon have placed significant reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, which has emerged as the dominant entity in the U.S. space industry.
With a Starlink internet network of nearly 7,000 satellites, SpaceX has become the world’s largest satellite operator and a disruptive force in the satellite internet sector. The Pentagon has expressed significant interest in the company’s capabilities for military communications. Starlink is a critical component of Ukraine’s military’s battlefield connectivity.
The senators sent a separate letter to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Friday, stating that Musk’s reported conversations underscore the necessity for increased competition in the launch and satellite communications industries, as well as the utilization of additional companies beyond SpaceX for classified national-security missions.
“Mr. Musk’s reported behavior could pose significant risks to national security, and as the CEO of a company with billions of dollars in sensitive defense and intelligence contracts, SpaceX’s outsized role in the commercial space integration of the Department of Defense warrants reconsideration,” the lawmakers stated.
Source: CNBC news
