Two Democratic U.S. senators have called for an investigation into Elon Musk's involvement in massive contracts between the U.S. government and his aerospace company, SpaceX, amid Musk's reported interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking Russian officials.
They expressed alarm that these interactions could potentially influence the terms or nature of the contracts and undermine security, especially given SpaceX's crucial role in U.S. space and defense operations, Reuters reported.
In a letter sent Friday, the senators requested that the U.S. Departments of Defense and Justice investigate whether Musk's alleged communications with Russian officials warrant a review of his ongoing involvement in SpaceX's government contracts. They raised concerns that these interactions could have implications for national security and the integrity of those contracts.
The senators described SpaceX as being "deeply integrated into our defense and intelligence space programming." They highlighted that the company holds over $700 million in contracts for the Space Force's National Security Space Launch program, is developing an exclusive satellite network for the Space Force through its Starshield unit, and has a $1.8 billion classified contract with the National Reconnaissance Office.
"These relationships between a prominent U.S. adversary and Mr. Musk, a recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. government funding, raise serious concerns about his reliability as a government contractor and a clearance holder," the letter notes.
The letter was signed Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who serves as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. The letter, along with a separate request to the Secretary of the Air Force, pointed to a Wall Street Journal report from last month, which revealed that Musk has had communications with Putin and other Russian officials since 2022. One of the individuals mentioned is Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia's deputy chief of staff, whom the U.S. has linked to efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Meanwhile, on Friday night, Musk wrote on X: "I'm going to find out who's making these accusations and nuke them."
Musk's influence within the government, as well as his access to sensitive information, is expected to grow when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. He has already become a close ally and confidant of Trump, participating in calls with world leaders, including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, and being appointed to lead efforts aimed at reducing government costs. Tensions between the U.S. and Russia in space have intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
