Elon Musk and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have come under scrutiny after three government watchdog organizations filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Pentagon advisory committee involving the billionaire.
The organizations accused defense officials of violating federal transparency requirements and allowing individuals with significant financial interests in military technology to influence future defense recommendations.
Watchdog groups sue Pentagon over Hegseth’s Project Meridian committee involving Musk
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Public Citizen and the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., on November 2. They named the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon official Emil Michael as defendants.
The case concerns Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare, which Hegseth commissioned on September 30 to examine emerging military technologies and recommend advances in weapons systems.
According to OK! Magazine, the committee includes Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in leadership roles. The watchdog groups argue that their involvement raises potential conflicts of interest.
Musk leads SpaceX, a major federal contractor, while Luckey founded defense technology company Anduril Industries. The plaintiffs claim that participants could benefit financially from the committee’s recommendations.
They also accuse Pentagon officials of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The lawsuit alleges that officials failed to provide sufficient public access to meetings and records or maintain balanced committee membership.
The groups want a court to stop Project Meridian from operating until the department complies with federal law. Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman also questioned whether industry executives should influence recommendations on artificial intelligence and defense spending.
In an October 29 letter, POGO urged officials to appoint an independent government accountability expert to protect taxpayers’ interests. They say this would strengthen scrutiny of potential financial conflicts.
The Pentagon previously told NPR that nonprofit MITRE would oversee the study and review recommendations using technical assessments and conflict-of-interest safeguards.
The allegations remain unproven. No court has ruled that Hegseth, Musk or the department violated federal law, and the lawsuit does not establish individual wrongdoing. The dispute now centers on whether the advisory committee can provide industry expertise while meeting transparency and accountability requirements.
