The head of any large defense contractor would face similar questions if they held private talks with Putin, said Ben Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities, a group that calls for restrained foreign policy.
“Aside from the national security implications, it seems quite indiscrete and dangerous” to Musk’s business interests, Friedman said. “If it was an approved phone call set up with the knowledge of the board of directors with lawyers present, that would be one thing. But when it’s off-the-cuff conversations with Vladimir Putin, who is obviously at odds with the U.S. government, that is going to cause a lot of concern.”
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