On Friday, two Democratic U.S. senators called for an investigation into Elon Musk's involvement in contracts between the U.S. government and his company SpaceX, citing reports that he had contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, which raised national security concerns. (The Wall Street Journal) reported last month that Musk has been in contact with Putin and other Russian officials since 2022, including exchanges with Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential administration. The United States previously accused Kiriyenko of orchestrating Russia's interference in the 2024 presidential campaign. The two Democratic senators are Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Jeanne Shaheen, also of Rhode Island. They wrote to U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General Robert Storch and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday, asking for an investigation into whether these contacts between Musk and Russian officials "should prompt a review of Musk's continued involvement in SpaceX government contracts." "These relationships between Musk and a well-known U.S. adversary, as a beneficiary of billions of dollars in U.S. government funding, raise serious questions about his reliability as a government contractor and security clearance holder," the letter said.
Reed and Shaheen wrote to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Justice. In addition to writing to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, the two senators also wrote to the U.S. Air Force Secretary to express their concerns. They said that SpaceX is "deeply integrated into our defense and space intelligence programs." The company holds more than $700 million in contracts in the Space Force's national security space launch program. It is building a dedicated satellite network for the Space Force through its "Starshield" division and has signed a confidential contract worth $1.8 billion with the National Reconnaissance Office. "While commercial integration in the space program is key to our ability to innovate, it requires contractors to demonstrate responsible behavior when handling some of our most sensitive technical capabilities," they said in the letter. Musk's sometimes erratic behavior complicates his deep relationship with the Pentagon, and his relationship with the U.S. military is mainly reflected in SpaceX's satellite launches and Starlink satellite internet services. Despite these concerns, the United States has signed multiple contracts with his company. Musk's role in the U.S. government and his access to sensitive information are likely to expand further after U.S. President-elect Trump takes office in January next year. He has become a close ally of Trump, joining him on phone calls with world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and was named head of the U.S. government's efficiency arm.
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