Musk’s visit to the Pentagon with Hegseth and the other Pentagon officials triggered a new storm of controversy over access to government information
Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday. Questions about why he was granted access to government information caused a new storm of controversy.
But, in the end, none of that appears to have happened. A Pentagon official who was not authorized to speak publicly said that Musk did not go to “the tank” but instead met with Hegseth in his office. It is unclear if the changes of plans were in reaction to the coverage of Musk and the purpose of the visit. Appearing at the Oval Office later in the day with Hegseth, Trump continued to make the point that the stories were designed to undermine the Pentagon’s relationship with Musk.
Musk’s widespread access to government information through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already sparked multiple controversies.
The official said Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, was expected to be present in Sri Lanka.
The Pentagon Briefing: Why Did Musk and Paparo Attend a Top Secret War Plan for the China War? A NPR Interview with Eric Schmitt
The Pentagon briefing was set to take place in a secure meeting place normally used by the Joint Chiefs, known informally as “the tank.” The official spoke with NPR on the condition of anonymity.
The New York Times is pure propaganda and that’s what Musk said about it. There will be prosecutions of Pentagon employees who leaked false information to the NYT. They will be found.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday night on X: “We look forward to welcoming @elonmusk to the Pentagon tomorrow. But the fake news delivers again — this is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans.’ It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!”
The New York Times reports that there is a top- secret briefing for the China war plan that has about 20 to 30 slides. The plan starts with a warning of a threat from China to various options on what Chinese targets would be hit in order to make Mr. Trump make his decisions, according to officials with knowledge of the plan.
We’re absolutely sure this is what was scheduled. There were a couple of things that gave us confidence, besides our sourcing being very strong. If Musk were really coming to the Pentagon for a more casual discussion, why would you hold it in the Tank? The four-star admiral in charge of the Indo-Pacific area, Samuel Paparo, was expected to brief the meeting, but instead he took on the role of wartime commander in a conflict with China.
I called Eric Schmitt, a Times national security reporter, who kindly stepped into one of the few Pentagon hallways where you can actually get cell service, and asked him to bring us up to speed.