Here's a fun feature of modern warfare: the satellites doing the work might be built by a guy who also sells cars, but they're not necessarily run by him. That distinction is at the center of a fresh spat over Ukraine, and SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci wants everyone to pump the brakes before they start yelling at Elon Musk.
In a post on X Wednesday, Scaramucci said the Donald Trump administration should answer questions about its role in the reported disruption of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX) Starshield satellite service in Ukraine.
Scaramucci Backs Musk
Scaramucci urged people to "slow down" and "gather facts" before blaming SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for the reported Starshield disruptions.
"He [Musk] has made it clear that the U.S. government is responsible for Starshield, which is the constellation of satellites used in warfare," Scaramucci said.
Then he aimed the question squarely at the White House. "The questions should be addressed to the Trump admin," he said.
Hillary Clinton Urges Musk to Support Ukraine
The comments come as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Musk to maintain Starshield support for Ukrainian forces as the war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified recently.
Musk, responding to reports from Ukrainian officials, who said that drones experienced connection failures after traveling faster than 100 mph, said that SpaceX did not control Starshield. "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and the POTUS," Musk said.
The Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO added that Starlink was a commercial service which was controlled and maintained by SpaceX, unlike Starshield. So one is his to run, and the other, by his account, belongs to the Pentagon and the president. That's the whole ballgame here.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The news comes as former Vice President Mike Pence urged Trump to rescind the Russia diesel deal, which would see the President Vladimir Putin-led country supply 300,000 tons of diesel immediately to the U.S. amid soaring prices at the pump. Pence urged Trump to impose sanctions on Russia instead.
Notably, the deal with Russia has received bipartisan pushback from both GOP and Democratic Party lawmakers, who said that the deal undermines 2022 sanctions imposed by the former President Joe Biden administration.
So you've got a satellite dispute, a diesel deal, and a whole lot of people pointing at each other. The one thing everyone seems to agree on: somebody in Washington should probably explain who's actually holding the controls.
