Elon Musk's High-Stakes Pentagon Meeting Sparks Controversy

Elon Musk visited the Pentagon to discuss innovation and efficiencies with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, amidst allegations of Pentagon leaks. The visit sparked controversy over potential conflicts of interest due to Musk's ties to China and the federal government. Musk and Trump dismissed claims about discussions on China's secret war plans.

Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday morning, engaging in over an hour-long meeting amid scrutiny over leaked information claims. As a key Trump ally, Musk focused discussions on innovation and efficient production improvements, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This marks further involvement in federal spending cuts.

The meeting came under rapid speculation from media outlets, including a report by the New York Times about Musk being briefed on secretive military strategies concerning China—an assertion denied by both Musk and former President Trump. Notably, Trump quashed any notion of China discussions on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Despite tension over the leak accusations and potential conflicts of interest, given Musk's leadership roles at Tesla and SpaceX, the conversation appeared cordial as Musk departed from the Pentagon. Meanwhile, investigations into intelligence leaks have been heightened, following directives by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard seeking to address such internal misconduct.

(With inputs from agencies.)