‘Elon is a Russian agent’ claims reportedly worry US Air Force chief; Elon Musk and SpaceX under probe by 3 separate US military branches for … – Times of India

Elon Musk and his aerospace company, SpaceX, are reportedly currently under investigation by three separate US military branches for potential violations of reporting protocols. The New York Times reports that Musk has repeatedly disregarded requirements to disclose meetings with foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The investigations are being conducted by the Defense Department’s Inspector General, the Air Force, and the Pentagon’s intelligence and security office. The Air Force has reportedly denied Musk’s request for higher-level security clearance, citing concerns about potential security risks.

Air Force chief’s letter to Senate Armed Services Committee chairman

“The Air Force takes security matters very seriously, and I share your concerns,” Kendall wrote to Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed in a December 13 letter obtained by Bloomberg News.
The senators wrote that “these reportedly frequent conversations between a well known US adversary and Mr. Musk, a beneficiary of billions of dollars of US government funding, bring into question the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community’s use of SpaceX’s satellites for our most sensitive military operations.”
The purported calls also underscored “the importance of encouraging competition in the commercial space industry to avoid over-reliance on a single provider for national security purposes,” they wrote.
The senators, as per the Bloomberg report, wrote Kendall last month expressing alarm over an October Wall Street Journal report that Musk “had multiple, high level conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as 2022 and sustained contact with high-level Russian officials, including Putin’s deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko.”

Elon Musk’s two emoji response and more

Russia has denied the conversations took place. Musk ridiculed the Journal story without denying it. He used two laughing emojis in response to a tweet that said, “Welp, the Swamp’s ‘Trump is Hitler’ didn’t work. Might as well give ‘Elon is a Russian agent’ a whirl.”
As per Bloomberg, Kendall said that SpaceX is cleared to handle Top Secret-level material but the service “does not comment on the status of an individual’s security clearance.” SpaceX’s day-to-day operations are run by the company president Gwynne Shotwell, who deals directly with Pentagon and Space Force officials.