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According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, US government agencies monitored visits by foreign nationals to Elon Musk’s properties amid growing concerns that foreign actors may have been attempting to influence Musk.
Some shit you should know before you read: Despite being the CEO of Tesla, owning SpaceX, and having other ventures, many don’t realize that Elon Musk is a US defense contractor with deep ties to the national security apparatus. Through SpaceX, Musk holds multiple high-value contracts with the Pentagon and intelligence community agencies. SpaceX has been used to launch top-secret satellites for the US Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which oversees US spy satellite operations. In 2020, SpaceX secured a Pentagon contract worth $316 million to launch military satellites under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. Additionally, the company provides encrypted satellite communications to US military operations via Starlink, which has been experimentally used by US Special Operations and Ukrainian defense forces under US guidance.
What’s going on now: According to The Wall Street Journal, multiple US government agencies (including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the FBI) monitored the movements of foreign nationals visiting Elon Musk’s US properties in 2022 and 2023. The investigation, which did not result in any formal charges, was driven by concerns that individuals from Eastern Europe and other regions may have been attempting to exert influence over Musk.
Given Musk’s leadership roles at companies with extensive government contracts (particularly SpaceX), federal officials viewed these interactions as potential national security vulnerabilities. The probe reportedly included surveillance of Musk’s personal guests, particularly those accompanying him to private events, business meetings, and political fundraisers, including at his pro-Trump America PAC.
Sources told the Journal that the investigation was prompted by the unusually high number of foreign nationals in Musk’s orbit during a period when he had top-level access to government officials and national security information. Specific concerns were raised by staff inside Musk’s super PAC, who reportedly had to implement vetting protocols to screen out foreign individuals from campaign-related activities. One of the most alarming revelations was that Musk had reportedly been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022.
While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a phone call had occurred between Musk and Putin (discussing space and future technologies), he denied that the two men had maintained ongoing communications.
Beyond Russia, The Wall Street Journal highlighted long-standing concerns over Musk’s business entanglements in China, where Tesla operates a massive Gigafactory and relies heavily on the Chinese government for favorable regulatory treatment. Some critics inside the Trump administration, including former adviser Steve Bannon, have argued that these international ties—especially with geopolitical adversaries like China—create an inherent conflict of interest and elevate national security risks.
