Democratic senators ask Pentagon, US officials to probe reports of Musk's alleged calls with Russia

washington — 

Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has held aggregate calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should beryllium investigated by the Pentagon and instrumentality enforcement agencies connected nationalist information grounds, 2 elder Democratic senators said successful a missive seen by Reuters connected Friday.

Musk, who has been appointed to a elder authorities relation by Republican President-elect Donald Trump, oversees billions of dollars successful Pentagon and quality assemblage contracts arsenic CEO of aerospace institution SpaceX.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a elder Foreign Relations Committee member, and Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed told U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Pentagon's inspector wide that Musk's engagement successful those SpaceX programs should beryllium probed for imaginable debarment and exclusion aft reports arsenic caller arsenic October of his conversations with Russian officials. Debarment refers to exclusion from definite contracts and privileges.

"These relationships betwixt a well-known U.S. adversary and Mr. Musk, a beneficiary of billions of dollars successful U.S. authorities funding, airs superior questions regarding Mr. Musk's reliability arsenic a authorities contractor and a clearance holder," the lawmakers said successful a associated missive dated Friday.

Several Democratic lawmakers person publically called for a probe into Musk's communications with Moscow since a study by The Wall Street Journal past period connected the alleged contact, but the missive to the U.S. officials who could motorboat specified an probe has not been antecedently reported.

The telephone by Shaheen and Reed for a national probe is simply a long-shot effort arsenic Trump prepares to instrumentality to the White House with backing from Musk, who spent implicit $119 cardinal connected Trump's reelection run and was appointed co-head of the president-elect's forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency.

SpaceX, Musk and the Pentagon did not instantly respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon and Justice Department did not instantly respond to akin requests.

Russian interaction

Reports of Musk's interaction with Russian officials emerged successful 2022, erstwhile governmental idiosyncratic Ian Bremmer, president of consulting steadfast Eurasia Group, said helium was told by Musk that helium had spoken with Putin astir the Ukraine warfare and Russia's reddish enactment for utilizing atomic weapons. Musk denied Bremmer's assertion and said helium had lone spoken to Putin 18 months earlier, astir space.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Musk has had aggregate conversations with Russian officials, including Putin and his archetypal lawman main of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, citing unnamed U.S., European and Russian officials.

Shaheen and Reed said successful the missive it was "deeply concerning" that Musk reportedly had conversations with Kiriyenko. He was charged this twelvemonth with different Russian officials by the U.S. Justice Department for spearheading an AI-powered propaganda run connected Musk's social-media level X and different sites to beforehand Russian interests and power voters up of the U.S. statesmanlike election.

Musk has publically claimed helium holds a U.S. information clearance, giving him entree to concealed accusation astatine SpaceX, which holds billions of dollars successful Pentagon and NASA motorboat contracts. The institution besides has a $1.8 cardinal quality assemblage declaration to physique a immense spy outer network, Reuters has reported.

"Communications betwixt Russian authorities officials and immoderate idiosyncratic with a information clearance person the imaginable to enactment our information astatine risk," the lawmakers said successful the letter.

Tensions betwixt the U.S. and Russia successful abstraction person spiked since Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion. Pentagon officials person condemned fishy maneuvers by Russian satellites successful orbit and this twelvemonth accused Russia of processing a space-based atomic limb susceptible of disabling ample outer networks.

Musk's SpaceX has travel to predominate the U.S. abstraction manufacture and is relied connected heavy by NASA and the Pentagon.

The company's Starlink net web of astir 7,000 satellites has made SpaceX the world's largest outer relation and a disruptive unit successful the outer net sector, with dense involvement from the Pentagon for subject communications. Ukraine's subject relies heavy connected Starlink for battlefield connectivity.

The senators sent a abstracted missive connected Friday to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall saying Musk's reported conversations rise the request for much contention successful the motorboat and outer communications industries and to usage much companies too SpaceX for delicate nationalist information missions.

"Mr. Musk's reported behaviour could airs superior risks to nationalist security, and arsenic CEO of a institution with billions of dollars successful delicate defence and quality contracts, warrant reconsideration of SpaceX's outsized relation successful [the Defense Department's] commercialized abstraction integration," the lawmakers said.