Israel concerned ‘wild card’ Musk could share sensitive data with others – report
New York Times says Musk and SpaceX are under review for federal security compliance failures; US Air Force recently denied security clearance to the billionaire
Israel is reportedly among a number of United States allies that have expressed concerns Elon Musk could share sensitive information with others, as the billionaire and his companies face at least three federal security reviews over national security compliance.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing defense officials, that Israel, along with other US allies, are concerned that Musk is a potential security risk due to his failure to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting confidential national security information.
Israel’s Defense Ministry called Musk a “wild card” after early 2023 meetings between Israeli military intelligence officials and US defense officials over Starlink, two individuals with knowledge of the talks told the newspaper.
Starlink is a network of satellites operated in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations, or areas that have had normal communications infrastructure disabled.
US President-elect Donald Trump has selected the South African-born tycoon along with fellow ally Vivek Ramaswamy to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, through which the pair have promised to deliver billions of dollars of cuts in federal spending.
The tech billionaire, the richest man in the world, spent at least $270 million to help Trump win the US presidency, according to new federal filings, making him the country’s biggest political donor.
Israeli officials were reportedly concerned Musk could pass sensitive information about Israel to other parties, although they eventually allowed Starlink to begin operating this year.
The report said the US Air Force recently denied high-security access to Musk due to potential security risks, with him and his SpaceX company facing at least three federal reviews over whether they have complied with federal reporting rules aimed at protecting national security.
A 2018 incident in which Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, smoked marijuana on a live web show with Joe Rogan also sparked a security clearance review by the Pentagon.
The New York Times said the new reviews were initiated by the Air Force, the Defense Department’s inspector general and the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. It cited eight people with knowledge of the rocket company and internal documents.
“Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders,” the report said.
The Air Force and undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security referred queries to the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General. That office, in turn, said that as a matter of policy, it could “neither confirm nor deny the existence of an ongoing investigation.”
It added: “This is to protect the confidentiality of those involved and to protect the integrity of the investigative process.”
Last month, two Democratic US senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Jack Reed, wrote in a letter that reports that Musk has held multiple calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should be investigated by the Pentagon and law enforcement agencies on national security grounds. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall responded last week to Shaheen that he shared those concerns but could not comment on the status of a person’s security clearance.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment about the report, and there has been no comment from the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The Times of Israel Community.