Rachel Maddow declares US should not do business with Elon Musk’s companies

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Monday called Elon Musk’s relationship with the U.S. an “untenable reality” for national security and said the federal government should not do business with companies owned by the billionaire entrepreneur.

Maddow said the Department of Defense and NASA will need a new “arrangement” for contracts with companies operated by Musk.

“So, buckle up. Even if Trump doesn’t win, the defense department and NASA are gonna need a new arrangement for all their rockets and for all the multi-billion dollar contracts Elon Musk’s companies have with the U.S. government,” Maddow said.

She suggested that either the U.S. will have to break the contracts or Musk will have to lose control of some companies.

“Now that we know what we know about Elon Musk, this election – regardless of who wins – has produced a national security problem that is going to be a huge new thing for our country to deal with, likely with tons of drama,” Maddow said.

“And, it will start as soon as we’ve got an election result either way.”

The U.S. can’t associate itself with the leader of the main company launching rockets for the Department of Defense and NASA if that person is secretly communicating with a foreign enemy, Maddow claimed.

According to a Wall Street Journal report published last month, Musk has been in “regular contact” with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022.

“You really can’t have the head of a company that is the primary rocket launcher for the defense department and NASA, you can’t have the head of that company in secret communications with America’s worst enemy while America’s enemy is actively waging a war against one of our allies, especially once you learn that he’s using his businesses to help the other side, to help Russia in that war,” Maddow said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk restricted the use of Starlink, a satellite internet service he operates, in Ukraine’s offensive operations against Russia.