Elon Musk holds unprecedented Pentagon meeting, wants leakers prosecuted

Elon Musk pushes for Pentagon meeting, calls for prosecution of leakers in efforts to cut government spending.

Billionaire Elon Musk took his campaign to cut the U.S. federal government into uncharted waters on Friday (March 21, 2025), holding an unprecedented top-level meeting at the Pentagon and calling for the prosecution of any Defense Department officials leaking false information about his visit.

Mr. Musk met U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for 80 minutes in his first such talks at the Pentagon, which is responsible for a large chunk of federal government spending. It was unclear whether U.S. generals joined that meeting virtually.

The New York Times reported that Mr. Musk would be briefed on secret war plans for China, something Mr. Musk, Trump and others denied. Mr. Musk called the report "pure propaganda" and urged legal action against leakers.

"I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found," he wrote on X before the Hegseth meeting.

President Donald Trump, who has not yet visited the Pentagon in his second term as President, also denied the story. "China will not even be mentioned or discussed," he said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday about the meeting. Later he told reporters the Pentagon meeting was to address costs.

“Elon was over there to address costs – DOGE – a thing called DOGE, which you have heard about," Mr. Trump, referring to Mr. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency

Access to a closely guarded military plan would mark a sharp expansion of Mr. Musk's role as the Trump adviser who is spearheading efforts to cut U.S. government spending.