Erin Snodgrass and Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert , Business Insider ; NASA chief and Democratic lawmakers urge investigation into reports of Musk-Putin conversations
"NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into The Wall Street Journal's report that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Several Washington officials began pushing for a probe less than a day after The Journal — citing several current and former US, European, and Russian officials — reported that Musk and Putin have had regular calls since 2022 in which they have discussed "personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions."
Musk has not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider. In a statement on X, which Musk reposted, the official SpaceX account described The Journal's report as an "incredibly misleading story" based on "completely unsubstantiated claims from unnamed sources."
On Friday, Nelson told Semafor that calls between Musk, the richest man in the world, and Putin "would be concerning" if true, particularly for NASA and the Department of Defense. Nelson added The Journal's report should be investigated but did not specify by which agency."
