Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly tried to read billionaire Elon Musk into highly classified programs related to China, CNN reported on Wednesday.
The outlet detailed that the special access programs are among the most classified ones within the department. Hegseth tried to do so bypassing the usual process, which includes lawyers.
The idea faded away after DoD ethics lawyers in the Standards of Conduct office said it wouldn't be appropriate, but people familiar with the matter told the outlet said it could have gone forward had Hegseth followed the usual process.
The report gains relevance considering that weeks ago President Donald Trump directed senior staff to prevent Musk from attending a classified briefing about China.
"What the f**k is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn't go," Trump said of the briefing, the anonymous official told Axios in mid-April. Two Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, were suspended from their positions by Hegseth for potentially leaking the news of the briefing.
"POTUS still very much loves Elon, but there are some red lines," an official said. "Elon has a lot of business in China and he has good relations there, and this briefing just wasn't the right thing."
Hegseth has been mired in controversy over his handling of sensitive information, with the latest report on the matter detailing he shared operational details about an upcoming military strike on Houthi targets in Yemen in the Signal messaging app.
As part of the standard protocol for the March attack, Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla used a secure government system to brief Hegseth on the mission's timing and targets. Despite warnings from aides about handling such information with caution, Hegseth shared them with at least two Signal group chats.
The Pentagon downplayed concerns, with spokesperson Sean Parnell insisting the messages were unclassified and aimed at media coordination. Hegseth, too, defended his actions publicly, brushing off reports as politically motivated attempts to discredit him.
President Donald Trump continues to stand by Hegseth, but there are some cracks appearing in the Republican party. Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Rep. Don Bacon said that if he were president, he would "fire" Hegseth.
Originally published on Latin Times
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