Elon Musk wants those who leak information at the Pentagon to be prosecuted.
Billionaire Elon Musk took the campaign to cut US federal government spending in an unprecedented direction on March 21, when he held a high-level meeting at the Pentagon and called for the prosecution of any Defense Department officials who "maliciously leaked false information" about his visit.
Mr. Musk, who has numerous contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for 80 minutes in his first meeting at the Pentagon, which controls a large portion of the federal budget. It is unclear whether U.S. generals participated in this meeting virtually.
The New York Times reported that Musk received briefings on secret U.S. war plans against China, but Musk, President Donald Trump, and others have denied the information. Musk called the article "pure propaganda" and called for legal action against those who leaked the information.
"I look forward to the prosecution of those at the Pentagon who maliciously leaked false information to the NYT. They will be found," billionaire Musk wrote on social media before his meeting with Mr. Hegseth.
A spokesperson for The New York Times stated that the investigations into the leaks “are aimed at stifling the exchange of information between journalists and their sources, and undermining the ability of the free press to bring to light important information that might otherwise be hidden.”
In a memo sent late on March 21, Hegseth's chief of staff called for an investigation into "unauthorized disclosures relating to national security information," including the possible use of lie detector tests.
At the White House after the meeting, President Trump said he did not want to reveal America's war plans with China to anyone and alluded to a potential conflict of interest with Musk.
"I don't want to show that to anyone. But you certainly wouldn't show it to a businessman, even if that person is helping us a lot," Trump said. "Elon has business dealings in China, and he could be affected by that."
Standing next to President Trump, Hegseth asserted that he had an informal conversation with Musk about innovation and optimizing defense spending.
"There are no war plans, no secret war plans involving China," Hegseth emphasized.
Following the controversy surrounding the New York Times article, a planned meeting between Musk and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a top-secret Pentagon meeting room, known as "The Tank," did not take place.
According to Reuters, access to the secret military plans would mark a significant expansion of billionaire Musk's role as an advisor to Trump, who is leading efforts to cut government spending.
This also raises concerns about a conflict of interest for Musk, as he is both CEO of Tesla and SpaceX – two companies with business interests in China.
"The United States had no legitimate national security or other reason to provide this information to Mr. Musk," Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth wrote in a letter to Hegseth, requesting clarification on the information shared with Musk and why he had access to it.
The White House had previously stated that Musk would exclude himself from decision-making if there was a conflict of interest between his business activities and his role in cutting federal spending.
Musk's companies, such as Starlink and SpaceX, now have numerous contracts with the Pentagon, raising questions about conflicts of interest as he advocates for innovation and a reprioritization of Pentagon spending in pursuit of efficiency.
The opportunities for Musk's companies, particularly SpaceX, under Trump could generate billions of dollars in revenue for his businesses. Trump's plan to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, which requires hundreds of sensors and satellites to monitor incoming ballistic missiles, would be a logical choice for SpaceX and Musk's Starlink unit.
Billionaire Musk arrived at the Pentagon on the morning of March 21st in a motorcade and quickly went upstairs to meet Hegseth. Upon leaving, Musk was seen laughing and joking with the Secretary of Defense and stating that the meeting had gone well.
"If there's anything I can do to help, I hope we can achieve a positive outcome," Musk said as he left.
Last week, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she had ordered an investigation into leaks from within the intelligence community and was examining internal chat rooms to identify employee misconduct.
According to documents released by the Department of Justice in 2021 to the independent watchdog organization Project on Government Oversight following a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), during Trump's first term, his administration referred more media leaks to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation than any other administration in the previous 15 years.
