MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Asks Treasury Secretary If Elon Musk’s China Ties Are ‘National Security Problem’

MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell used her final question in an interview with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to ask whether or not Elon Musk poses a “national security problem” to the United States.

Mitchell referenced a New York Times report on Musk and his ties to China when asking if the United States government is too reliant on “this one entrepreneur.”

“He is really dependent on that Chinese market, very tied in with them. He has huge defense contracts. His satellites are the satellites we rely on for so much of our communication. Is it a national security problem for — and his rockets, of course — isn’t it a national security problem for our government to have so much reliance on this one entrepreneur?” Mitchell asked.

Yellen did not directly answer, but said that the government is not interested in shutting down business relationships between Chinese and U.S. businesses.

“Look, we take national security very seriously and want to protect our national security. Our desire is not to shut down economic relations with China,” she said. “We want to diversify our supply chains, but many American firms operate in China and gain from the ability to sell to China’s large market. China, obviously, sells a lot in the United States, and the competition among our firms is by and large a healthy thing. We want to stabilize that relationship, not shut it down. But also, we need to make sure that the playing field is level, and we are concerned about Chinese subsidies and the impact on our firms.”

Watch above via MSNBC.