Dear Congressman:

A big story in the news today is that Musk is getting a briefing on Top Secret plans for war with China. Trump denies this but anonymous Pentagon sources indicate this is true. How are you letting this happen?! I spent over 20 years as an Army officer working with artillery and nuclear weapons. I had U.S. and NATO Top Secret and ATOMAL clearances. In my later civilian career with a NASA and DoD contractor I was in charge of all employee security clearances and security of documents related to all classified programs for which my employer had contracts. Even with those clearances I still required Need to Know. So, for example, I knew a certain program office had Top Secret documents. I made sure they were properly secured and accounted for. But I did not have a Need to Know so I did not know what was in those documents and could not even ask about the contents. In my entire career I had access and Need to Know for ONE Top Secret document. I remember it to this day, though I can’t talk about it. It was during the Cold War and I was in Germany. It was one of those: This could be a major international security issue – the world could be on fire. I could not even tell my immediate boss – just my general. It required developing a p[language and writing orders that were eventually signed by a four star general. I recall that perhaps five or six other officers knew about this and many had to help execute the plan but only a very few knew the contents of the document. That is how sensitive and tightly controlled Top Secret documents and plans plans are. And, my boss did not even query me as he was well aware he did not have a Need to Know.

If, indeed, Musk is getting access to these “war plans,” that is alarming. There are probably four-star flag officers who have no idea what is in those plans. Trump probably does not know himself. YOU likely don’t know, either. SECDEF Hegseth very likely does not know and will likely learn of them if Musk is briefed. Let’s assume Musk has been properly vetted and cleared – though with his alleged drug use he would probably not have obtained a clearance with a defense contractor – what is his Need to Know? Simply put, he has NO Need to Know. He has not been elected by anyone. We joke about his being the “assistant president,” or the “First Buddy.” It is not a joke. How would it even fall under DOGE? You have to know this. You guys need to stop this. Maybe you will get more concerned when his DOGE Muskrats start looking at your salaries, travels and perks.

Please get back to what you swore to do in your oath of office. Take back from Trump and Musk your responsibilities under Article 1 of the U.S Constitution. I would appreciate a response.

Ken Freimuth

Ogden