Elon Musk engaged in a rare meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for eighty minutes during a high-level discussion which led to widespread questions about defense secrets and possible ethical issues at the Pentagon.  

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Musk denied through multiple statements that any information regarding top-secret U.S. China war strategies was presented to him by Pentagon officials despite his extensive defense contracts. Suppressing New York Times reports about secret meeting topics became a joint initiative between former President Trump and Elon Musk and other Defense Department figures.  

The Pentagon's employees who share fake information to NYT should face court prosecution in the near future. Musk declared on X moments before the conference that the Pentagon leakers would be traced down.  

Since the New York Times maintained its journalistic stance through defending its reporting activities it indicated that federal leak investigations endanger press rights as well as prevention of crucial information release. Hegseth’s chief of staff released a memorandum during the late evening to conduct a probe about unauthorised leaks and to consider administering polygraph tests for identifying perpetrators.  

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During the press briefing Trump denied giving away military plans to Musk yet he confirmed his apprehension about Musk's relationship with Chinese businesses.  

I do not want to present the material to other individuals. Trump declared that a crucial business partner of his does not need to see the military plans but added "But certainly, you wouldn't show it to a businessman who is helping us so much," Trump said. Elon Musk conducts business operations in China so he might potentially fall victim to such information exposure.  

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During the White House appearance Hegseth supported Trump by telling reporters that Musk received nonclassified information about space exploration. Hegseth emphasized the meeting was casual and concentrated on technological progress and operational effectiveness. War plans did not exist in any form whether Chinese or American at that time. He emphasized that no covert military strategies existed during the discussion.  

The meeting scheduled between Musk and Joint Chiefs personnel inside the secure "The Tank" space at the Pentagon ended up being canceled because of public monitoring.  

Two Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, have since demanded details on Musk’s involvement, questioning the rationale for sharing any national security information with him.  

The visit comes as Musk plays a key role in advising the Trump administration on government spending cuts. His company SpaceX stands to benefit significantly from proposed defense projects, including the Golden Dome missile defense shield, which could generate billions in government contracts.