Elon Musk calls for prosecutions of Pentagon staff who leaked to NYT

WASHINGTON − Elon Musk said Pentagon unit who spoke to reporters astatine the New York Times should beryllium prosecuted, aft the paper reported the billionaire was owed to beryllium briefed astir the U.S. military's program for immoderate warfare that mightiness interruption retired with China.

"The New York Times is axenic propaganda," Musk said successful a station connected his societal media level X connected Friday. "Also, I look guardant to the prosecutions of those astatine the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously mendacious accusation to NYT. They volition beryllium found."

Musk's comments came aft President Donald Trump besides denied the communicative astir his adjacent ally.

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"China volition not adjacent beryllium mentioned oregon discussed," Trump said successful a station connected Truth Social connected Thursday astir the meeting.

The New York Times did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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A U.S. official, speaking connected information of anonymity, told Reuters the briefing for Musk would beryllium attended by elder U.S. subject officials successful the Pentagon and would beryllium an overview connected a fig of antithetic topics, including China.

Access to a intimately guarded subject program would people a crisp enlargement of Musk's relation arsenic a Trump advisor who has spearheaded efforts to chopped U.S. authorities spending.

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It would besides substance questions astir conflicts of involvement for Musk, who arsenic the caput of Tesla and SpaceX has concern interests successful China and with the Pentagon.

The White House has antecedently said Musk volition recuse himself if immoderate conflicts of involvement originate betwixt his concern dealings and his relation successful cutting national authorities spending.

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Last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she had ordered an probe into leaks from wrong the quality assemblage and is besides probing interior chat rooms for immoderate misconduct by employees.

During Trump's archetypal term, his medication referred much media leaks for transgression probe each twelvemonth than successful immoderate of the erstwhile 15 years, according to records released successful 2021 by the Justice Department to the autarkic watchdog group, Project connected Government Oversight, successful effect to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Musk demands prosecutions implicit NYT Pentagon story