Top Senate Democrats – Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen are calling for an investigation into Elon Musk’s alleged ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top officials.
They sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Defence Department Inspector General Robert Storch raising “serious questions regarding Mr Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and a [security] clearance holder”.
The lawmakers want the Pentagon and Justice Department to probe whether Musk’s relationships with a US adversary compromise national security, especially given his major government contracts.
Musk’s reported “multiple, high-level conversations” with Putin since 2022 have raised eyebrows, despite the Kremlin’s denial, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The billionaire’s response to the accusations was fiery, vowing to “nuke” those behind the claims on his X platform, “going to find out who’s making these accusations and nuke them”.
Reed and Shaheen question Musk’s reliability as a government contractor and security clearance holder, citing his alleged communications with Putin’s deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko.
The senators highlight Russia’s space ambitions as a direct threat to US national security. They’re concerned that Musk, with his top-secret level clearance, doesn’t report his foreign government contacts, unlike others with similar clearances. SpaceX’s deep involvement in US defense and intelligence infrastructure adds to the concerns.
Musk’s ties to the US government extend beyond contracts; he backed Trump’s 2024 election bid and participated in diplomatic efforts, including calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and meeting Argentinian President Javier Milei in Trump’s Florida home.
However, his recent visit to the Iranian UN ambassador’s residence in New York has sparked controversy, with Iran’s foreign minister denying the meeting took place.
The investigation request underscores growing scrutiny of Musk’s foreign connections and their implications for US national security.