Senior Official: It's true that Musk was to be briefed by the U.S. on war plans against China, and Trump ordered the cancellation of the briefing.
According to a report by the short news website Axios, a New York Times article last month about the Pentagon preparing to brief Musk on military operation plans for potential conflict between the U.S. and China regarding confidential information is accurate. A senior official recalled that it was U.S. President Trump who personally ordered staff to cancel the briefing.
In addition to tariffs and court battles related to Trump's policies, two pieces of news about internal power struggles within the Trump administration were revealed on Tuesday. U.S. Defense Secretary Esper suspended two senior political appointees at the Pentagon: the Secretary’s Senior Advisor Caldwell and the Deputy Chief of Staff Schnur, in order to investigate who leaked the details of the classified briefing intended for Musk regarding China.
The New York Times reported last month that two American officials said the Pentagon was preparing to brief Musk on military operation plans for potential conflict between the U.S. and China. Another official said the briefing would focus on China but provided no further details. A fourth official confirmed that Musk would visit the Pentagon but did not reveal any details.
The secret briefing on war plans against China reportedly included approximately 20 to 30 slides explaining how the U.S. would respond to such conflicts. According to informed officials, the plan covered everything from signs and warnings of threats to various options for striking adversary targets, all of which would be presented to Trump for his decision-making reference.
Axios learned that Musk or Esper were not the ones who decided to cancel the briefing after the leak. It was allegedly Trump himself who personally ordered staff to cancel the briefing. A senior official recalled that Trump said at the time, "What the hell is Elon (Musk) doing there? Make sure he doesn't go."
The official who disclosed the information said, "The president still likes Elon very much, but there are some red lines. Elon has many businesses in China and has good relationships there, and this briefing is not the right thing." On March 20, The New York Times accurately reported that Musk planned to receive a briefing the next day at the Pentagon regarding military plans for potential conflict with China, bringing the matter to public attention.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829577435586572/
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