Retired Army general declares Musk a 'national security risk' in brutal NYT op-ed

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Monday 30 December 2024 16:20 GMT


Elon Musk has been branded a “national security risk” by a former U.S. army general, who cited his concerns over the tech billionaire’s close ties with the Chinese government. Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, who retired in 2008, highlighted Musk’s history of appeasing and praising the Chinese Communist Party and his multiple business deals with the party, particularly in the modern space race.

In a scathing op-ed, published in The New York Times, Honoré noted that Musk and his company SpaceX already face federal reviews for failing to provide details of meetings with foreign leaders, but said that such infractions were “just the beginning of my worries.”

Musk has previously borrowed at least $1.4 billion from banks controlled by the Chinese government to help build a “gigafactory” in Shanghai for Tesla. The factory was responsible for more than half of Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter of 2024.

“China does not tend to give things away,” Honoré wrote. “The country’s laws stipulate that the Communist Party can demand intelligence from any company doing business in China, in exchange for participating in the country’s markets. “This means Mr. Musk’s business dealings in China could require him to hand over sensitive classified information, learned either through his business interests or his proximity to President-elect Donald Trump.”

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-nationl-security-risk-nyt-op-ed-b2671611.html

---

Link to NYT Op-Ed - Elon Musk Is a National Security Risk

(No paywall NYT link (gift))

[Karadeniz]

1. Yay for Honore...still trying to help the American people !!!!!

[COL Mustard]

12. And he's not

Stuck on stupid.

[dem4decades]

2. Isn't it time to just hand the country over to Putin?

It's the ultimate "owning the libs", which is ironic, seeing we're the ones that were supposedly un-American, don't you think?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. The irony here

is that we know 45 belongs to Pootie but apparently Muskrat belongs to Xi!

[dem4decades]

5. I guess that explains the riff in MAGA, another irony, neither wants to actually

Make America Great Again.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Anyone who adopts or encourages a MAGat philosophy

is a natural born opportunist and will "use this 'opportunity'" to enrich themselves (even if is contrary to another's taking advantage of their own "opportunity" ).

[ck4829]

14. Might as well

[Abolishinist]

4. Even Ramaswamy has raised concerns

about potential national security concerns surrounding Musk and China.

In May 2023, Ramaswamy publicly stated, “I have no reason to think Elon won’t jump like a circus monkey when [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping calls in the hour of need. “The U.S. needs leaders who aren’t in China’s pocket,” he wrote in a separate post on X, although he did not name Musk.

[Justice matters.]

7. Well, that national security "risk" jumped like...

a circus monkey with a neo-nazi-font cap at the felonious rapist's rally in Butler...

Vivek has premonition powers but nothing will be done about it, thanks to the stupid magats.

[Tom Dyer]

8. His work after Katrina is so appreciated.

[BOSSHOG]

13. We were north of NOLA

Muddling through the aftermath. Remember Heckuva job Brownie? LGEN Honoree An Officer, A Patriot, A Professional, A Hero. And a Coonass to boot.

[mahina]

9. Never was one named better.

Well put!

[Trexmaster]

10. Always retirees

Always.

“Retired”, “Former”, “Ex-”, never “The”...

[Evolve Dammit]

11. That is what a patriot looks like MAGAT assholes. Thank you General Honore

[travelingthrulife]

15. Not to mention an illegal immigrant.

If we had a functioning legal system he could be long ago deported. Let him wreck his own country.

[maxsolomon]

16. So?

We're post-accountability now.

NYT Op-Eds have the same impact as a DOJ Special Prosecutor in a Democratic Administration. None.

[Hotler]

17. Why didn't any retired military generals come out and declare the orange one a domestic enemy as in their oath? nt

[24601]

18. It violates The Uniform Code of Military Justice for a Commissioned Officer, including those of us who are retired, from

"using contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present..."

The truth of the statement is irrelevant. The standard of proof is that the words were used and that in the context used, the words were contemptuous.

The UCMJ is Federal Law, and the specific reference is Article 88, Contempt Toward Officials. The maximum punishment is dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and one year of forced confinement. Dismissal is the Officer & Cadet equivalent of a Dishonorable Discharge.

]https://www.mymilitarylawyers.com/ucmj-article-88-contempt-toward-officials/

You may recall that in 1993, the Air Force fined and retired Maj. Gen. Harold N. Campbell who called President Clinton a "pot-smoking," "womanizing" and "draft-dodging" Commander in Chief. If only he had added, "...and we fighter pilots admire most of these qualities," then the context might not have been contemptuous.