Alleged talks between billionaire and Russian president could have enormous security implications

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who is now central to Donald Trump’s election campaign, has been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin for the past two years, according to a report in the US.

The Wall Street Journal, citing several in-post and former US, European and Russian officials, reported that the conversations between the two men ranged from the personal to the geopolitical and included a request from the Russian leader not to activate his Starlink ​​satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favour to the Chinese leader and Putin ally, Xi Jinping.

  • skeptomatic@lemmy.caEnglish
    36·
    7 days ago

    Wouldn’t surprise me if Putin is deploying underage honey-trapping on these guys like Trump/Elon/Tucker/etc., covertly filming it, and then blackmail owning them thereafter.

  • RangerJosie@lemmy.worldEnglish
    202·
    6 days ago

    Of all the reasons I’d put that dipshit on blast. This one is just silly. Probably true. Not denying that. Its just stupid. That he, wildly overinflated dumbass of an ego constantly high on his own farts, thought his in-house security was better than the INFOSEC nerds at Langley.

    Worse than that. It wont matter. This is America. The amount of money the fuckwit has means he’s quite literally untouchable. Because this is the bad place. We live in hell.

  • YeetPics@mander.xyzEnglish
    8·
    6 days ago

    Just two years; I don’t buy it for a second.

    He’s been in deep since well before he purchased twitter.

  • Pacattack57@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    7 days ago

    Is t there a law that says private citizens shouldn’t be representing the US with foreign leaders?

    • Dem Bosain@midwest.socialEnglish
      221·
      7 days ago

      Why yes there is, from the 19th century. But it’s not about abortion, so surely is unenforceable.

    • yemmly@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      7 days ago

      If he wasn’t the richest being in the known universe, he’d be fighting an indictment right now.

  • profdc9@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    6 days ago

    What do you want to bet the NSA has recordings of Musk’s phone calls? Probably the only thing preventing the feds from using these recordings would be they would have to let on they have this capability.

  • Justin@lemmy.jlh.nameEnglish
    243·
    7 days ago

    Isn’t this espionage/treason? He has security clearance, he should not have contact with foreign government officials or sabotage our allies.

      • jordanlund@lemmy.worldMEnglish
        47·
        7 days ago

        Removed, advocating violence. Plus, isn’t Musk still a foreign national? Not sure how “Treason” applies to non-Americans.

        • subignition@fedia.io
          14·
          6 days ago

          You’re kidding me… I was discussing whether his actions meet the definition of a crime and therefore whether the established legal punishment would be appropriate. As others have commented he IS an American citizen (from 2002) and there’s no question of jurisdiction here. Although treason is a very high bar (despite mounting evidence) and it is much more likely that he could be got for sedition under the Smith Act or something.

          I disagree with your decision. I think your effort would be better spent focusing on the folks actually advocating for vigilantism.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    921·
    7 days ago

    Someone remind me what happened involving Musk almost exactly two years ago… I’m pretty sure something relevant happened on October 28, 2022… I remember a little bird chirping in my ear…

  • tacosanonymous@lemm.eeEnglish
    87·
    7 days ago

    So combined with his interjection into politics, wouldn’t this be two serious crimes he’s committed?

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
    86·
    7 days ago

    A billionaire might have done something illegal and possibly treasonous?

    I wonder if anyone will follow through on this.

    • TachyonTele@lemm.eeEnglish
      189·
      7 days ago

      I would understand it if Musk was in anyway threatening. But he’s obviously a child trying to sit at the adult table. All anyone has to do is insult him at grade school level and he flinches.

      Him and most of the other wackos right now are like Bond villain D tier henchmen. How is no one taking these morons down? Is this really how the people in power cave, by letting these fools run free?

      • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
        42·
        7 days ago

        As silly as it sounds … there was a similar argument for the National Socialist Party in Germany in the 1930s. Many people thought they were a joke and weren’t taken seriously at first.

        Put enough money, finances and marketing behind a movement no matter how insane it is and it can quickly go out of control.

        What people don’t realize is that it is money and finance that make these movements possible. They don’t just appear out of thin air through the force of one personality or the cult following of one person. It takes money to sell an idea and the more money you spend on it, the bigger the idea will become. These nut jobs are being funnelled millions of dollars either directly or indirectly to spread their garbage. Part of the problem is the insane personality that everyone glorifies … the greatest problem are the millionaires and billionaires and corporations that fund these idiots to push their own agenda from the background.