Billionaire entrepreneur and DOGE chief Elon Musk has called for the prosecution of Pentagon staff who allegedly leaked information to The New York Times (NYT). The report in question claimed that Musk was set to receive a classified briefing from the US military regarding potential war scenarios involving China. Musk, in a post on his social media platform X, denounced the publication and dismissed the allegations.
Musk rejects claims of secret China war briefing
“The New York Times is pure propaganda,” Musk wrote on Friday. “Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found.”
US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Musk, also rejected the claims made by the NYT article. In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump stated that China would not be a topic of discussion at the alleged meeting.
The New York Times has yet to respond to requests for comments on the matter.
A US official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, confirmed that Musk was indeed scheduled to attend a briefing at the Pentagon. However, the official clarified that the discussion would encompass a range of topics, with China being one of them.
If granted access to sensitive military plans, Musk’s role as a Trump adviser would significantly expand. His involvement in defence-related matters, alongside his push for reduced government spending, raises concerns over potential conflicts of interest due to his business ties with China and the Pentagon.
Conflict of interest concerns
As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has extensive business dealings in China and contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. The White House has previously assured the public that Musk would recuse himself from discussions where conflicts of interest could arise between his business operations and his advisory role in federal spending reductions.
The controversy comes amid broader concerns about leaks from within the U.S. intelligence community. Last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced an investigation into internal leaks and the monitoring of internal chat rooms for any potential misconduct by employees.
During Trump’s first term, his administration referred more media leaks for criminal investigation each year than any of the previous 15 years, according to Justice Department records obtained in 2021 by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
(With Reuters inputs)
