NASA chief and Democratic lawmakers urge investigation into reports of Musk-Putin conversations

The Wall Street Journal reported that Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk have had multiple phone calls. 

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into The Wall Street Journal’s report that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Several Washington officials began pushing for a probe less than a day after The Journal — citing several current and former US, European, and Russian officials — reported that Musk and Putin have had regular calls since 2022 in which they have discussed “personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions.”

Musk has not responded to requests for comment from B-17. In a statement on X, which Musk reposted, the official SpaceX account described The Journal’s report as an “incredibly misleading story” based on “completely unsubstantiated claims from unnamed sources.”

On Friday, Nelson told Semafor that calls between Musk, the richest man in the world, and Putin “would be concerning” if true, particularly for NASA and the Department of Defense. Nelson added The Journal’s report should be investigated but did not specify by which agency.

The same day, Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico that the Defense Department should investigate Musk to ensure his alleged actions aren’t “to the detriment” of the country’s national security.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, echoed similar calls in a Friday post on X.

Representatives for NASA, Rep. Smith and Sen. Shaheen did not respond to requests for further comment from B-17.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected The Journal’s reporting, telling the outlet that Putin has had only one phone conversation with Musk, during which they discussed space and future technologies.

In a statement to B-17, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the DoD is aware of The Journal’s reporting but “cannot corroborate the veracity of those reports” and referred B-17 to Musk “to speak to his private communications.”

Why Musk’s international ties matter

The billionaire’s SpaceX has become a key player in federal space exploration. In 2021, it won a $1.8 billion classified contract to build a network of satellites in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency that manages spy satellites. The astronautics company has also provided rockets and other equipment to the Pentagon and NASA.

Because of his work with the federal government via SpaceX, Musk holds a security clearance that gives him access to some classified information.

Having ties to a foreign country is not inherently a disqualifying factor for a security clearance, Steven Stransky, a former advisor to both the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council, told B-17.

Musk’s ties to foreign governments and leaders would have been considered before he was granted such a clearance.

“The security clearance adjudication process looks at several factors, and undue foreign influence is just one of those factors,” Stransky, now a partner at Thompson Hine law firm, said.

Stansky said while the level of influence other people have over the billionaire is unclear, Musk’s personal relationships may be of interest to the government given his security clearance and professional proximity to state secrets.

A security clearance would generally be denied to anyone with a “chummy relationship” with Putin, said Robert English, a former DoD policy analyst who held a top security clearance and the current director of Central European studies at the University of Southern California.

The Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the topic, that during one of their conversations, Putin asked Musk to refrain from activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan, making the request on behalf of China’s leader, Xi Jinping.

“Even if Musk did not cede to that request, that’s too much power in this one individual’s hands,” English said.

The existence of an ongoing Musk-Putin relationship would be further complicated by the billionaire tech leader’s recent foray into US politics.

Both Trump and Musk have said that the billionaire is a likely candidate for a seat in the former president’s would-be cabinet. In a September speech, Trump said that if he’s re-elected, he plans to create a government efficiency commission to be overseen by Musk, which the Tesla CEO has said he “can’t wait” to run.

“If Musk is not fully loyal to the US or has trafficked with our adversaries,” English said, “that’s important to know now.”