The deep state was has been in full meltdown since Thursday night’s leaked report by the New York Times that DOGE chief Elon Musk would be visiting the Pentagon on Friday for an alleged briefing on top secret U.S. war plans for communist China.
The allegation that Musk would receive a top secret China war plans briefing was shot down as “fake news” by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk and President Donald Trump in social media posts on Thursday and Friday.
The controversy is yet another skirmish between the entrenched deep state and President Trump in his efforts to reform the federal government and clean house of bad actors.
Musk’s Herculean role to reform the federal government and root out out massive waste fraud and abuse with DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) does present conflicts he has pledged to avoid given his companies are government contractors (including the Pentagon) and his business ties to China.
Video of Musk and Hegseth after the meeting at the Pentagon ended posted by CNN’s Natasha Bertrand. Asked by a New York Times reporter about the meeting, Hegseth reportedly responded, “Why would I tell you?”
Elon Musk exited Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s office in the Pentagon at 10:21 on Friday morning. Asked by CNN how the meeting went, Musk responded, “It’s always a great meeting.” He then commented, “I’ve been here before you know,” as he and Hegseth laughed and walked down the… pic.twitter.com/7Q8c5dSddk
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) March 21, 2025
Parnell on Thursday, “This is 100% Fake News. Just brazenly & maliciously wrong. Elon Musk is a patriot. We are proud to have him at the Pentagon.”
This is 100% Fake News. Just brazenly & maliciously wrong.
Elon Musk is a patriot.
We are proud to have him at the Pentagon. pic.twitter.com/LiyXrl8gCi
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) March 21, 2025
Parnell appeared on Fox News Friday morning to again refute the report.
There should be accountability for liars! Especially within the media.
The NYT is a propaganda machine that should IMMEDIATELY retract their lies!
The days of the Pentagon just allowing these fake narratives to spread is over. pic.twitter.com/vZfu1wa3ir
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) March 21, 2025
Hegseth posted Friday, “Sean is, again, correct with this absolute master class pushback against media lies. The NYT should immediately retract this fake narrative.”
Sean is, again, correct with this absolute master class pushback against media lies.
The NYT should immediately retract this fake narrative. https://t.co/Rq8S6gPfhs
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 21, 2025
Trump addressed the controversy with reporters in the Oval Office midday Friday with Hegseth by his side, saying he would not authorize such a briefing for Musk given his business ties with China. The purpose of the Oval Office meeting with Hegseth was to announce the selection of Boeing to build the military’s new Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet, the F-47.
FAKE NEWS ALERT
President Trump calls The New York Times report that Elon Musk was being briefed on a theoretical war plan with China a “fake story”:
“It was such a fake story. The New York Times is just as fake as CNN and MSDNC. Anybody who read that story, people laughed at… pic.twitter.com/tSfDcKYyx5
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 21, 2025
Hegseth also spoke:
WATCH: @PeteHegseth and President Trump BLAST “garbage fake news” New York Times over report on @elonmusk:
HEGSETH: “It was meant to undermine whatever relationship the Pentagon has with Elon Musk. Elon Musk is a patriot… We welcomed him today, to the Pentagon, to talk… pic.twitter.com/nnVr6PFC8v
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) March 21, 2025
The story appears to have started with a panicked leak from deep state officials at the Pentagon concerned that the meeting with Musk was set for the highly secure Joint Chiefs briefing room known as “the Tank.” NPR later reported that the head of Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo would brief Musk on non-classified China matters.
NPR reported Friday the Musk meeting took place in Hegseth’s office (excerpt): “A Pentagon official who was not authorized to speak publicly said that Musk did not go to “the tank” but instead met with Hegseth in his office. It’s unclear if the apparent change of plans was in reaction to the news coverage about Musk and the purpose of the visit.”
The New York Times has rewritten it’s headline and story since the initial publication.
The current version is at the gift link in this post:
Major report from the @nytimes overnight:
“Pentagon Set Up Briefing for Musk on Potential War With China”
Gift link: https://t.co/6qsedNF3mX pic.twitter.com/vmy1sYORnD
— Taylor Popielarz (@TaylorPopielarz) March 21, 2025
The Pentagon was scheduled on Friday to brief Elon Musk on the U.S. military’s plan for any war that might break out with China, two U.S. officials said on Thursday.
Another official said the briefing would be China focused, without providing additional details. A fourth official confirmed Mr. Musk was to be at the Pentagon on Friday, but offered no details.
…Pentagon war plans, known in military jargon as O-plans or operational plans, are among the military’s most closely guarded secrets. If a foreign country were to learn how the United States planned to fight a war against them, it could reinforce its defenses and address its weaknesses, making the plans far less likely to succeed.
The top-secret briefing that exists for the China war plan has about 20 to 30 slides that lay out how the United States would fight such a conflict. It covers the plan beginning with the indications and warning of a threat from China to various options on what Chinese targets to hit, over what time period, that would be presented to Mr. Trump for decisions, according to officials with knowledge of the plan.
Trump slammed the Times report in Truth Social posts Thursday night and Friday morning:
“The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential “war with China.” How ridiculous?” China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!”
““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. 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.” RATINGS CHALLENGED FAKE NEWS CNN immediately picked up on this absolutely ridiculous and false story, which is probably libelous, and went heavy with it. Fortunately, nobody was watching! Maggot Hagerman, the really dumb “scammer” who constantly writes about me for the Times, using anonymous, made up (nonexistent!) sources, and who I haven’t spoken to in ages, is a big part of the Scam. She lead the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, only to realize that she was duped and got it wrong. She owes me a totally discredited Pulitzer Prize for her bad reporting. The Fake News is the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE…And Elon is NOT BEING BRIEFED ON ANYTHING CHINA BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR!!!”
Musk called for prosecution of the leakers, “The New York Times is pure propaganda. Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found.”
The New York Times is pure propaganda.
Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT.
They will be found. pic.twitter.com/xANvLMOH5j
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2025
The post “Fake News” New York Times Leak of Elon Musk Visit to Pentagon Triggers ‘DefCon 1’ Alert From Deep State; Trump Denies Report of Top Secret China War Plans Briefing Given to DOGE Chief appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.