Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell slams ‘garbage’ NYT report claiming Musk to be briefed on China plans
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell refuted a New York Times report claiming Elon Musk will be briefed on plans against China during Friday's Pentagon visit
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell ripped New York Times over a recent report claiming Elon Musk will be briefed with “top-secret” plans “for any war that might break out with China.” During an appearance on Fox and Friends Friday morning, the 43-year-old called the report “garbage,” urging the outlet to take it down.
Sean Parnell slams NYT report claiming Elon Musk will be briefed on ‘top-secret’ plans about China
“That is completely fake,” Parnell said of the article, adding, “This is egregious. This is fake. The New York Times should retract this story.” He went on to say that “this type of garbage” from the outlet “undermines our mission.”
Regarding the Tesla CEO, Parnell said that he is “just coming over here for a visit again.” As he noted Musk's importance to the Department of Defence, he reiterated that the NYT article is “ridiculous.”
“We want a guy like Elon Musk in the Defense Department to help us come up with creative solutions to the problems that we face today. But this article — this article is ridiculous. It’s fake. And I say it on the record,” Parnell said.
The Pentagon spokesman's remark comes after both Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth refuted reports that Musk would be briefed on a military blueprint regarding any possible war with China.
““Elon Musk will be briefed by the Pentagon about the USA’s top secret plans against China should there be a War,”according to the Failing New York Times, one of the worst and most purposely inaccurate newspapers anywhere in the World,” the president wrote on Truth social.
“Their FAKE concept for this story is that because Elon does some business in China, that he is very conflicted and would immediately go to top Chinese officials and “spill the beans”,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, the defence secretary wrote on X, “We look forward to welcoming @elonmusk to the Pentagon tomorrow. But the fake news delivers again — this is NOT a meeting about “top secret China war plans.” It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!”
