Reports of Musk's Communications with Putin Spark Concern in Washington
Democratic lawmakers are joining NASA chief Bill Nelson in urging for a confirmation of a shocking report that suggests there has been frequent contact between the mogul and Moscow.
TroibNews 
The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee requested an investigation on Friday following a report that Elon Musk, the billionaire space entrepreneur who supports former President Donald Trump, has been in frequent communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We should investigate what Elon Musk is up to to make sure that it is not to the detriment of the national security of the United States,” Rep. Adam Smith said in an interview, adding his voice to a group of Democrats, including NASA’s administrator, who are advocating for a review of the report.
A Wall Street Journal article published on Thursday revealed that Musk has had previously unreported discussions with the Russian leader since 2022. Musk, known as the world’s richest person and one of Trump’s most visible and affluent supporters, is now under scrutiny.
Smith did not explicitly suggest that Musk should lose his security clearance associated with his role at SpaceX but emphasized the importance of investigating whether his reported interactions compromise U.S. interests. He urged the Defense Department to examine the situation.
Similarly, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a prominent member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Armed Services Committees, also called for a Pentagon inquiry.
“Elon Musk—who has billions in contracts that support some of our most sensitive military operations—reportedly has an open line to Putin,” Shaheen stated. “In the interest of our national security, [the Defense Department] must investigate this and evaluate how it relies on commercial services like Musk’s."
Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, remarked that the allegations regarding Musk’s interactions with Putin “raise many serious questions," though he did not make a specific call for an investigation.
Earlier on Friday, NASA chief Bill Nelson commented on the report, suggesting that if it were accurate, it would be “concerning” for a number of U.S. agencies and should be confirmed.
“I don’t know that that story is true. I think it should be investigated,” Nelson, a former Democratic Senator from Florida, said during Semafor’s World Economy Summit. “If the story is true, that there have been multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia, then I think that would be concerning, particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies.”
Musk's communication with the Kremlin has been denied by Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who claimed there was only one phone call between them. Musk has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In defense of Musk, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized him as a “once-in-a-generation industry leader” and underscored that Trump “will re-establish his peace through strength foreign policy to deter Russia’s aggression and end the war in Ukraine."
The Defense Department has yet to reply to inquiries regarding the situation.
SpaceX, Musk's company, holds multiple contracts with both the Defense Department and NASA. On Friday morning, a team of NASA astronauts returned to Earth aboard one of SpaceX’s Dragon capsules.
Musk has invested nearly $120 million into his super PAC that supports Trump, quickly rising as one of the former president’s major backers. His social media platform X has also seen him draw controversy for spreading conspiracies, including the unfounded claim about Democrats stealing elections through non-citizen voting. The DOJ recently cautioned Musk's America PAC about potential violations of federal law due to his offer of million-dollar prizes to registered voters in swing states.
Trump has previously indicated that he would appoint Musk to lead an efficiency commission capable of significantly reshaping the federal government if re-elected.
Simultaneously, Musk's enterprises maintain strong connections to national security.
After initially offering his Starlink satellites to Ukraine at the start of the war, Musk has since restricted their use by the Ukrainian military and ceased funding for them. Reports from Ukrainian military intelligence found earlier this year that Starlink was being utilized by the Russian army.
Smith expressed apprehension that Musk's companies, particularly SpaceX and its subsidiary Starlink, contribute vital roles to the nation's defense and intelligence functions, calling for greater diversity in the space launch sector to reinforce national security.
Even in the absence of clear evidence in any investigation into Musk's purported contacts with Putin, Smith asserted that it “may be absolutely crucial to the national security interests of the United States” to have alternatives to Musk’s services.
The recent book by journalist Bob Woodward disclosed that Trump has had several conversations with Putin since leaving office, during which he referred to the Russian president as “genius” and “savvy” in relation to his invasion of Ukraine, implying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is responsible for the war. Trump’s campaign has rejected Woodward’s accounts.
Addressing suspicions regarding his connections to Russia, Trump has argued against critics by pointing to sanctions he imposed on a Russian pipeline into Germany during his presidency.
Smith characterized the apparent network of interactions between Musk, Trump, and Putin as “troubling,” arguing that they present significant risks to U.S. interests and democratic values, particularly should Trump return to the presidency.
“There is a growing fascist movement across the world that Putin is the biggest exporter of, but China is right there with them,” Smith remarked. “There are a number of folks here domestically who are sympathetic to that worldview, that supposedly strong white men with a lot of money ought to rule the world and the rest of us should simply be forced to do whatever they dictate.”
Jessica Piper contributed to this report.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
"We should investigate what Elon Musk is up to to make sure that it is not to the detriment of the national security of the United States,” Rep. Adam Smith said in an interview, adding his voice to a group of Democrats, including NASA’s administrator, who are advocating for a review of the report.
A Wall Street Journal article published on Thursday revealed that Musk has had previously unreported discussions with the Russian leader since 2022. Musk, known as the world’s richest person and one of Trump’s most visible and affluent supporters, is now under scrutiny.
Smith did not explicitly suggest that Musk should lose his security clearance associated with his role at SpaceX but emphasized the importance of investigating whether his reported interactions compromise U.S. interests. He urged the Defense Department to examine the situation.
Similarly, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a prominent member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Armed Services Committees, also called for a Pentagon inquiry.
“Elon Musk—who has billions in contracts that support some of our most sensitive military operations—reportedly has an open line to Putin,” Shaheen stated. “In the interest of our national security, [the Defense Department] must investigate this and evaluate how it relies on commercial services like Musk’s."
Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, remarked that the allegations regarding Musk’s interactions with Putin “raise many serious questions," though he did not make a specific call for an investigation.
Earlier on Friday, NASA chief Bill Nelson commented on the report, suggesting that if it were accurate, it would be “concerning” for a number of U.S. agencies and should be confirmed.
“I don’t know that that story is true. I think it should be investigated,” Nelson, a former Democratic Senator from Florida, said during Semafor’s World Economy Summit. “If the story is true, that there have been multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia, then I think that would be concerning, particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies.”
Musk's communication with the Kremlin has been denied by Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who claimed there was only one phone call between them. Musk has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In defense of Musk, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized him as a “once-in-a-generation industry leader” and underscored that Trump “will re-establish his peace through strength foreign policy to deter Russia’s aggression and end the war in Ukraine."
The Defense Department has yet to reply to inquiries regarding the situation.
SpaceX, Musk's company, holds multiple contracts with both the Defense Department and NASA. On Friday morning, a team of NASA astronauts returned to Earth aboard one of SpaceX’s Dragon capsules.
Musk has invested nearly $120 million into his super PAC that supports Trump, quickly rising as one of the former president’s major backers. His social media platform X has also seen him draw controversy for spreading conspiracies, including the unfounded claim about Democrats stealing elections through non-citizen voting. The DOJ recently cautioned Musk's America PAC about potential violations of federal law due to his offer of million-dollar prizes to registered voters in swing states.
Trump has previously indicated that he would appoint Musk to lead an efficiency commission capable of significantly reshaping the federal government if re-elected.
Simultaneously, Musk's enterprises maintain strong connections to national security.
After initially offering his Starlink satellites to Ukraine at the start of the war, Musk has since restricted their use by the Ukrainian military and ceased funding for them. Reports from Ukrainian military intelligence found earlier this year that Starlink was being utilized by the Russian army.
Smith expressed apprehension that Musk's companies, particularly SpaceX and its subsidiary Starlink, contribute vital roles to the nation's defense and intelligence functions, calling for greater diversity in the space launch sector to reinforce national security.
Even in the absence of clear evidence in any investigation into Musk's purported contacts with Putin, Smith asserted that it “may be absolutely crucial to the national security interests of the United States” to have alternatives to Musk’s services.
The recent book by journalist Bob Woodward disclosed that Trump has had several conversations with Putin since leaving office, during which he referred to the Russian president as “genius” and “savvy” in relation to his invasion of Ukraine, implying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is responsible for the war. Trump’s campaign has rejected Woodward’s accounts.
Addressing suspicions regarding his connections to Russia, Trump has argued against critics by pointing to sanctions he imposed on a Russian pipeline into Germany during his presidency.
Smith characterized the apparent network of interactions between Musk, Trump, and Putin as “troubling,” arguing that they present significant risks to U.S. interests and democratic values, particularly should Trump return to the presidency.
“There is a growing fascist movement across the world that Putin is the biggest exporter of, but China is right there with them,” Smith remarked. “There are a number of folks here domestically who are sympathetic to that worldview, that supposedly strong white men with a lot of money ought to rule the world and the rest of us should simply be forced to do whatever they dictate.”
Jessica Piper contributed to this report.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
