The Tesla CEO was reacting to a letter signed by two US Democratic Party senators
Elon Musk has vowed to take action against officials and politicians who allege he has secret ties to Russia. The South African billionaire made the threat in a post on his social media platform X on Saturday, saying, “I’m going to find out who’s making these accusations and nuke them.”
His remarks come after US Democratic Party Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Jack Reed of Rhode Island called for an investigation into alleged communications between the South African billionaire and Russian officials.
In a letter to Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch and Attorney General Merrick Garland, the senators cited an October article in the Wall Street Journal claiming that Musk held several conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022, as well as other high-ranking Russian officials.
The newspaper relied on anonymous sources, including current and former US officials. It offered no evidence to support the assertions.
The senators have called into question Musk’s reliability as a government contractor, noting his involvement in government-funded projects through his companies Tesla and SpaceX. They raised concerns that Musk may have access to classified information, given SpaceX’s collaboration with American space agencies. The lawmakers proposed an investigation to determine whether Musk and his companies should remain eligible for government contracts.
Musk has dismissed the claims, calling the senators “puppets” and questioning who was behind the letter.
“Who actually wrote this and made those knuckleheads sign it?” he wrote. “There will be consequences for those who pushed foreign interference hoaxes.”
In a separate post on X in which Musk defended Trump’s pick of Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general, he said, “The Hammer of Justice is coming.”
The allegations of links between Musk and Russia echo similar accusations levelled against US President-elect Donald Trump during his first term in office. The widespread claims, fueled by media reports and inconclusive investigations, were used to undermine his presidency but were later found to have been without basis.
The Kremlin has denied claims that Musk frequently communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has called the allegations yet another ingredient “tossed into” the political struggles surrounding the election.
Musk has actively supported the president-elect and has become an increasingly influential figure among his team. This week, Trump appointed Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new initiative that will be tasked with reducing government waste.
