Elon Musk threatens Pentagon leakers after China war story
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Elon Musk will visit the Pentagon on Friday, as confirmed by President Trump and top officials, who dismissed claims of a China war briefing.
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Elon Musk salutes as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, on March 4, 2025. (AP)
DOGE chief Elon Musk warned on Friday the Pentagon staff who leaked what he described as "false information" to the New York Times regarding a story that claimed he would be briefed on sensitive US military plans for a potential war with China during his visit to the Pentagon.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the publication that Musk would be visiting the Department of Defense on Friday at the invitation of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth "and is just visiting."
However, The Wall Street Journal later reported that Musk would receive a "top secret" briefing on US tactics and plans for war with China, citing anonymous US officials.
"The New York Times is pure propaganda," Musk posted on his X platform in the early hours of Friday morning. "Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found."
Musk, a close political ally of Trump, is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an entity facing numerous legal challenges in the courts over its access to and influence over various federal departments.
The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX also has business interests in China, and SpaceX holds billions of dollars in federal contracts to develop military technology, including satellites, for the US government.
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It’s important to note that Trump denied the NYT report, which cited anonymous U.S. officials, about the briefing allegedly scheduled for Friday.
"The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding, "They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential 'war with China.' How ridiculous?"
Hegseth confirmed that Musk would be visiting the Pentagon on Friday and criticized reports about the nature of the visit.
The defense secretary wrote on X, "This is NOT a meeting about 'top secret China war plans.' It's an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!"
The US military has been strategizing for a possible confrontation with China for years, with Taiwan as the main point of contention. Additionally, ongoing tensions stem from territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
While it is possible that the US could intervene to defend Taiwan if China were to invade, it maintains a policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding the issue.
China considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, to be part of its territory, and many analysts predict that if diplomatic efforts fail, Beijing may eventually resort to military action to seize the island.
Musk has stakes on both sides of the equation. His business operations in China would suffer greatly in the event of war, while his company, SpaceX, could benefit substantially from Pentagon defense contracts.
