WASHINGTON — Democrats led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) need the Trump administration handy over details about billionaire Elon Musk’s conflicts of curiosity as a authorities worker who owns firms doing enterprise with the federal government.
In letters to the White Home and a number of other federal companies on Thursday, the Democrats demanded Musk full a public monetary disclosure detailing his varied enterprise pursuits.
“In an unprecedented arrangement, President Donald Trump has bestowed expansive and unlawful authority on Mr. Musk, an unelected billionaire,” Democrats stated in a letter to White Home Counsel David Warrington. “Mr. Musk is redirecting billions of taxpayer dollars to fund his own financial interests while slashing federal employees, programs, and services on which all Americans depend.”
Democrats have harped on Musk’s conflicts of curiosity all yr. Thursday’s letters are a sign Democrats will proceed to spotlight Musk’s outstanding function within the Trump administration whilst his time in authorities nears its finish. As a particular authorities worker, Musk’s tenure is legally restricted to 130 days, and each he and the president have signaled he’s both leaving or scaling again his authorities work forward of that deadline.
Musk final week instructed traders in Tesla, his electrical automotive firm, that he’ll quickly spend a lot much less time with the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity that Trump created for him. And on Wednesday Trump thanked Musk for his work whereas suggesting he received’t be there for much longer.
“You’re invited to stay as long as you want, but at some point he wants to get back home to his cars,” Trump stated throughout a televised assembly within the White Home with Musk and members of his Cupboard.
MANDEL NGAN through Getty Photos
Musk’s reputation has plummeted even quicker than Trump’s as DOGE brokers infiltrated federal companies, accessed delicate information and initiated layoffs, prompting a wave of lawsuits and interventions by federal courts.
Musk’s firms SpaceX and Tesla have been awarded billions in authorities contracts through the years. Earlier this yr, Musk criticized the Federal Aviation Administration’s use of SpaceX competitor Verizon for air visitors management know-how whereas the company individually started utilizing Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, for components of the air visitors management system.
Federal legislation forbids authorities staff from utilizing public workplace for personal acquire and discourages even the looks of conflicts of curiosity, an ordinary the Trump administration has constantly flouted, each with Musk’s personal firms and people belonging to the president.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt has beforehand stated Musk has “abided by all applicable laws” and the president has stated Musk would recuse himself from authorities coverage choices that might have an effect on his companies.
“The Trump Administration has failed to make public Mr. Musk’s financial disclosure filings, hiding the true extent of his conflicts from the public,” the Democrats stated of their letter, which requested his monetary disclosures in addition to any White Home determinations that they didn’t characterize a battle of curiosity.
In a separate letter to federal companies, Connolly highlighted Musk’s varied contracts and requested “whether he has fully disclosed all connections, interactions, payments, and business with foreign governments and officials.”
Connolly is the highest Democrat on the Home Oversight Committee, which generally conducts investigations of the chief department. Since Republicans management the Home, they management the committee and its subpoena powers, one thing its chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), has proven no real interest in utilizing to research the Trump administration.
As a result of a most cancers prognosis, Connolly introduced he’s stepping again from his place, for which he defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in an inner celebration election final December. Democrats should determine who ought to exchange Connolly within the high-profile function.
Ocasio-Cortez declined to inform HuffPost on Thursday whether or not she’ll pursue the place.
