NASA’s chief administrator Bill Nelson and top Democrats from the House Armed Services Committee called for the investigation into a report stating that billionaire Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Democrats believe that the Tesla CEO’s association with Putin is concerning since he is actively campaigning for Former US President Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential elections.
“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,” Democratic Representative Adam Smith said in an interview, echoing the assertion made by the administrator of NASA who called for checking the report.
Smith stopped short of saying that the billionaire should immediately lose the security clearance he holds through his role at SpaceX. Smith also urged the US Department of Defence to look into the matter. Meanwhile, Senator Jeanne Shaheen who is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, also urged the Pentagon to investigate.
“Elon Musk—who has billions in contracts that support some of our most sensitive military operations—reportedly has an open line to Putin,” Shaheen said in a post. “In the interest of our national security, [the Defense Department] must investigate this and evaluate how it relies on commercial services like Musk’s.”
What is the report about?
According to a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal, Musk had previously held several unreported discussions with the Russian president since 2022. It is pertinent to note that the SpaceX CEO is Trump’s highest and wealthiest backer in his fight against US Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Friday, the NASA chief stated that if the report turns out to be true, it would be “concerning” for a host of US agencies and urged authorities to look into the issue. “I don’t know that that story is true. I think it should be investigated,” said Nelson, who previously served as a Democratic Florida senator, at Semafor’s World Economy Summit.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/nasa-chief-democrats-demand-probe-into-reported-musk-putin-secret-conversations-13829315.html.
