Warren, Casar Call for Pentagon Watchdog to Investigate Musk Involvement in Golden Dome Contracts
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, and Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) led 40 members of Congress in calling on the Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Defense to investigate the process for awarding the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield contract, including any involvement by Elon Musk.
Last month, Reuters reported that Musk’s SpaceX has emerged as a “frontrunner” for contracts, which could be worth trillions of dollars, and that sources report “ an attitude that the national security and defense community has to be sensitive and deferential to Elon Musk because of his role in the government.’" Reuters also reported the Pentagon is considering a highly unusual “subscription model” for SpaceX’s services.
“Musk's formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the Golden Dome contract because of Mr. Musk’s position in the government,” wrote the lawmakers.
The letter asks that the IG refer the case to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation if he finds that Musk is using his role in government to secure a Golden Dome contract for SpaceX. The letter also raises concerns about the feasibility and cost of the Golden Dome.
The lawmakers requested that the scope of the IG’s investigation include whether Musk or his employees had any role in developing the contract requirements or deciding the award for the Golden Dome, along with an assessment of the cost and readiness risks associated with Musk’s proposed “subscription-based” model for the Golden Dome.
The following senators joined in signing the letter: Cory Booker (D-N.J), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
The following Representatives joined in signing the letter: Don Beyer (D-Va.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Paul D. Tonko (D-N.Y.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).
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