Elon Musk sat in on job interview for Air Force’s top civilian
“I have no relationship with Space X or Mr. Musk outside of a professional relationship in execution of my current duties,” Meink stated in written responses to questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Troy Meink, secretary of the US Air Force nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — SpaceX founder Elon Musk was present at President Donald Trump’s interview of his Air Force Secretary nominee Troy Meink, confirmed Meink in written responses to Sen. Elizabeth Warren obtained by Breaking Defense.
Musk was “one of many” people present at the meeting and only Trump directed questions toward the nominee, Meink stated. However, the disclosure could raise further concerns about Meink’s ties to SpaceX and Musk after Reuters reported in February — citing seven people familiar with the matter — that Musk had recommended Meink for the job after Meink helped push a multi-billion dollar satellite contract toward SpaceX.
Meink — who is currently the National Reconnaissance Office’s principal deputy director — said that, to his knowledge, Musk played no role in his selection as the Air Force secretary nominee and that the billionaire did not make any requests of Meink in return.
“I have no relationship with Space X or Mr. Musk outside of a professional relationship in execution of my current duties,” Meink stated, adding in a separate response that he had never been counseled that he had a conflict of interest.
Details of Musk’s presence at Meink’s interview was first reported by Politico.
Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., previously raised concerns about Meink’s nomination in February following the publication of the Reuters article, which they said included “incredibly serious allegations of misconduct and favoritism.” In their letter, the senators asked Meink to respond to questions about his relationship with Musk and SpaceX — questions that Warren said in a statement today have not been sufficiently answered.
“Musk sitting in on Meink’s interview was highly inappropriate, raising more questions about whether he hand-picked Meink — and if so, why,” Warren said. “What was Elon’s role here and what does he get out of it? Nobody elected Musk to anything—he should not be selecting our national security officials, especially if they have the power to give him billions in taxpayer dollars.”
It is unclear whether news of Musk’s presence during Meink’s interview could put pressure on his nomination, which could come to a vote as soon as next week. However, at his confirmation hearing last month in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Meink faced no questions from lawmakers about his ties to Musk, with senators largely concerned about parochial matters or specific weapons programs of interest.
Beyond answering questions about Musk in his written responses to Warren, Meink provided responses about how he would ensure a fair bidding process for industry competitors if confirmed to be the Air Force secretary.
“I have a long and distinguished record of encouraging innovation, competition and expanding the industrial base during my time at the NRO,” he said. “If confirmed I would bring that experience to the Department of the Air Force and ensure that leadership at all levels was actively encouraging innovation and competition in the defense industrial base.”
He also distanced himself from comments made by Musk in November that “manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones.”
“I do not associate myself with those remarks,” Meink wrote.
