SpaceX president defends Musk against sexual misconduct allegation

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell defended Elon Musk against a sexual misconduct allegation that he has denied, CNBC news reported on Monday.

Business Insider last week reported that Musk's private rocket company SpaceX paid $250,000 in 2018 to settle a sexual harassment claim from an unnamed private jet flight attendant who accused Musk of exposing himself to her.

Read | Musk denies he sexually harassed flight attendant on private jet

"Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations," Shotwell wrote in an email to employees last week, according to the CNBC report.

Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has denied the report of harassment, calling the person who made the claim a liar.

The Business Insider article quoted an anonymous person who said she was a friend of the flight attendant. The friend had provided a statement as part of the private settlement process, according to the article.

SpaceX and Shotwell could not immediately be reached for comment.