Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk held an unprecedented meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Friday, marking a rare direct engagement between the head of a private enterprise and top military leadership.
The meeting, which lasted 80 minutes, has stirred controversy, particularly over reports suggesting Musk was to be briefed on secret U.S. war plans concerning China—claims he and the White House have strongly denied.
Musk, whose companies SpaceX and Starlink hold multiple contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, lashed out at the allegations published by The New York Times, calling them “pure propaganda.” Taking to his social media platform X, the Tesla chief demanded legal action against those responsible for leaking what he termed “maliciously false information.”
“I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found,” Musk wrote.
The Times, in response, defended its reporting, asserting that leak investigations “are meant to chill communications between journalists and their sources and undermine the ability of a free press to bring out vital information that may otherwise be hidden.”
Concerns over national security
Following the controversy, a planned meeting between Musk and members of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in “The Tank”—a secure Pentagon briefing room—was reportedly canceled. The exact agenda of Musk’s discussions with Hegseth remains unclear, though the defense secretary later described it as an “informal conversation” centered around innovation and efficiency in military spending.
The meeting, however, has raised concerns among lawmakers over potential conflicts of interest. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth have demanded transparency over what was shared with Musk and why.
“There is no legitimate national security or other rationale for providing this information to Mr. Musk,” they wrote in a letter to Hegseth.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House after the meeting, also appeared to acknowledge concerns over Musk’s extensive business ties with China.
“I don’t want to show (our war plans) to anybody. But certainly, you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much,” Trump said. “Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that.”
Leak investigation ordered
The Pentagon, in response to the New York Times report, has launched an investigation into potential unauthorized disclosures. A memo from Hegseth’s chief of staff called for a probe into the leaks, including the possible use of polygraph tests on officials with access to sensitive information.
Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has also initiated an inquiry into leaks within the intelligence community, including a review of internal communication channels.
Musk’s growing influence in U.S. military affairs has become increasingly evident, particularly with Trump’s push to cut federal spending. His companies are well-positioned to benefit from the former president’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense shield, which would require advanced satellite networks—an area where SpaceX and Starlink are industry leaders.
As Musk left the Pentagon, he appeared upbeat about the meeting, telling reporters, “If there’s anything I can do to be helpful, I would like us to have a good outcome here.”
