By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said Pentagon staff who spoke to reporters at the New York Times should be prosecuted, after the newspaper reported the billionaire was due to be briefed about the U.S. military's plan for any war that might break out with China.

"The New York Times is pure propaganda," Musk said in a post on his social media platform X on Friday. "Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found."

Musk's comments came after President Donald Trump also denied the story about his close ally.

"China will not even be mentioned or discussed," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday about the meeting.

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the briefing for Musk would be attended by senior U.S. military officials in the Pentagon and would be an overview on a number of different topics, including China.

Access to a closely guarded military plan would mark a sharp expansion of Musk's role as a Trump adviser who has spearheaded efforts to cut U.S. government spending.

It would also fuel questions about conflicts of interest for Musk, who as the head of Tesla TSLA.O and SpaceX has business interests in China and with the Pentagon.

The White House has previously said Musk will recuse himself if any conflicts of interest arise between his business dealings and his role in cutting federal government spending.

Last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she had ordered an investigation into leaks from inside the intelligence community and is also probing internal chat rooms for any misconduct by employees.

During Trump's first term, his administration referred more media leaks for criminal investigation each year than in any of the previous 15 years, according to records released in 2021 by the Justice Department to the independent watchdog group, Project on Government Oversight, in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Daniel Wallis)

((nandita.bose@thomsonreuters.com; +12023545868; Reuters Messaging: nandita.bose.reuters.com@reuters.net))