Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of DN.Y. said SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is doing “no business” at the Pentagon.
The New York Times reported that Musk will receive military plans for a possible conflict in China, but the Pentagon and White House have retreated and said that Mask's briefings will not cover China.
“Elon Musk is an unelected, self-interested billionaire with no business near the Pentagon,” Gillibrand said in an X post Friday morning with a photo of Musk, shortly after Musk arrived at the Pentagon. Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The possibility that Musk will receive information about China increases the possibility of conflicts of interest given the fact that Musk has economic interests to China due to Tesla, and SpaceX is working with the US federal government on military space capabilities.
However, the Trump administration has quickly pushed back the Times' report, and Trump believes social media posts are “not entirely true.”
“They said that by mistake, Elon Musk will go to the pentagon tomorrow and explain the possibility of a “war with China.” How ridiculous is it? “China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” President Donald Trump said in Truth Social Post Thursday night.
Former Obama administration officials also sounded warnings about a visit to the Musk pentagon.
Xochitl Hinojosa, former Attorney General Eric Holder and spokesman for the Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee, said that career staff must have revealed information about the press meeting as they are worried about the sharing of masks.
“What's going on here, everyone has to be scared of, Pentagon officials are setting the alarm,” Hinojosa said in an interview with CNN on Thursday night. “This doesn't just happen on its own. This happened because pentagonal staff were terrified, and they believe there is a conflict of interest. So that's why it's in the New York Times. I'm sure they took it to most people in the White House and within the Pentagon and did nothing about it.”
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New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand raised concerns about Musk's visit to the Pentagon in reports that he will receive information about the conflict with China. (Fox News – Paulsteinhauser)
Hinojosa said career officials would be wary if they noticed unethical behavior at the agency while at the Justice Department.
“That's exactly what's happening here,” said Nichihosa.
Hinojosa could not be reached due to comment by Fox News Digital.
The New York Times released a story Thursday night claiming that a visit to the Musk Pentagram would involve discussing plans in the event of a potential war with China. Specifically, the Times reported that the briefing includes a presentation that includes 20 to 30 slides on how the US will fight China, hit various Chinese targets, and how the Pentagon will share these plans with Trump.
The Times also reported that the meeting would occur in so-called tanks. The so-called tanks are the safe meeting rooms used by the joint chiefs for meetings, as well as commanders of other senior staff and visiting combatants.
Meanwhile, the Times Report also said Musk may need to know information about China's plans as he cuts the Pentagon budget in his efforts to lead government efficiency (DOGE).
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has pushed back a New York Times report on Elon Musk, who has received insight into the war with China. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The Pentagon War Plan is highly confidential for operational security purposes. Details about the US military's strategy to combat the enemy are somehow shared or leaked, which will put the US military at risk and undermine the success of the military movement.
Hegseth also said the issue was getting heavy and that the meeting with Musk will be primarily focused on innovation.
“But fake news is coming back. This is not a meeting on the “top secret China war plan.” This is an informal meeting on innovation, efficiency and smarter production. “Heggs said in an X post late Thursday evening.
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In response to Hegseth's post, Musk responded: “I've been to the Pentagon many times over the years, not the first time in a building.”
Musk also said in another post that he “looks towards prosecution of the Pentagon people who are leaking malicious and false information to the NYT.”
“They'll be found,” he said.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
