NASA chief and Democratic lawmakers urge investigation into reports of Musk-Putin conversations

• The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin person shared concealed calls since 2022.
• Several Washington officials are now seeking a probe into nan report.
• A erstwhile DoD expert said that a narration for illustration this could airs nationalist information concerns.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and a increasing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into The Wall Street Journal's report that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been successful interaction pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Several Washington officials began pushing for a probe little than a time aft The Journal — citing respective existent and erstwhile US, European, and Russian officials — reported that Musk and Putin person had regular calls since 2022 successful which they person discussed "personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions."

Musk has not responded to requests for remark from Business Insider. In a statement connected X, which Musk reposted, nan charismatic SpaceX relationship described The Journal's study arsenic an "incredibly misleading story" based connected "completely unsubstantiated claims from unnamed sources."

On Friday, Nelson told Semafor that calls betwixt Musk, nan richest man successful nan world, and Putin "would beryllium concerning" if true, peculiarly for NASA and nan Department of Defense. Nelson added The Journal's study should beryllium investigated but did not specify by which agency.

The aforesaid day, Rep. Adam Smith, nan apical Democrat connected nan House Armed Services Committee, told Politico that nan Defense Department should analyse Musk to guarantee his alleged actions aren't "to nan detriment" of nan country's nationalist security.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat and personnel of nan Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, echoed akin calls successful a Friday post connected X.

Representatives for NASA, Rep. Smith and Sen. Shaheen did not respond to requests for further remark from BI.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected The Journal's reporting, telling nan outlet that Putin has had only 1 telephone speech pinch Musk, during which they discussed abstraction and early technologies.

In a connection to Business Insider, a spokesperson for nan Department of Defense said nan DoD is alert of The Journal's reporting but "cannot corroborate nan veracity of those reports" and referred BI to Musk "to speak to his backstage communications."

Why Musk's world ties matter

The billionaire's SpaceX has go a cardinal player successful national abstraction exploration. In 2021, it won a $1.8 cardinal classified statement to build a network of satellites successful business pinch nan National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), nan agency that manages spy satellites. The astronautics institution has also provided rockets and different instrumentality to nan Pentagon and NASA.

Because of his activity pinch nan national authorities via SpaceX, Musk holds a security clearance that gives him entree to immoderate classified information.

Having ties to a overseas state is not inherently a disqualifying facet for a information clearance, Steven Stransky, a erstwhile advisor to some nan Department of Homeland Security and nan National Security Council, told BI.

Musk's ties to overseas governments and leaders would person been considered earlier he was granted specified a clearance.

"The information clearance adjudication process looks astatine respective factors, and undue overseas power is conscionable 1 of those factors," Stransky, now a partner astatine Thompson Hine rule firm, said.

Stansky said while nan level of power different group person complete nan billionaire is unclear, Musk's individual relationships whitethorn beryllium of liking to nan authorities fixed his information clearance and master proximity to authorities secrets.

A information clearance would mostly beryllium denied to anyone pinch a "chummy relationship" pinch Putin, said Robert English, a erstwhile DoD argumentation expert who held a apical information clearance and nan existent head of Central European studies astatine nan University of Southern California.

The Journal reported, citing 2 group acquainted pinch nan topic, that during 1 of their conversations, Putin asked Musk to refrain from activating his Starlink outer net work complete Taiwan, making nan request on behalf of China's leader, Xi Jinping.

"Even if Musk did not cede to that request, that's excessively overmuch powerfulness successful this 1 individual's hands," English said.

The beingness of an ongoing Musk-Putin narration would beryllium further analyzable by nan billionaire tech leader's caller foray into US politics.

Both Trump and Musk person said that nan billionaire is simply a apt campaigner for a spot successful the former president's would-be cabinet. In a September speech, Trump said that if he's re-elected, he plans to create a government ratio commission to beryllium overseen by Musk, which nan Tesla CEO has said he "can't wait" to run.

"If Musk is not afloat loyal to nan US aliases has trafficked pinch our adversaries," English said, "that's important to cognize now."