Warren Presses Trump for Answers on Elon Musk’s Glaring Conflicts of Interest
“Mr. Musk’s substantial private interests present a massive conflict of interest with the role he has taken on as your ‘unofficial co-president.’”
“Currently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country—or merely good for his own bottom line.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to President-Elect Trump with concerns about Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest as he serves as a top advisor for the incoming president.
In the weeks since the election, Mr. Musk has been named the co-chair of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, and has frequently been by Trump’s side, joining his phone calls with Ukraine’s president, “[met] secretly" with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations.
“But Mr. Musk is no ordinary citizen,” wrote Senator Warren, pointing out that he is the CEO of several companies that have significant interests before the federal government.
“Mr. Musk’s substantial private interests present a massive conflict of interest with the role he has taken on as your ‘unofficial co-president,’” continued Senator Warren. “Currently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country—or merely good for his own bottom line.”
SpaceX, Tesla, and Mr. Musk’s other companies have an ongoing interest in how the government does or does not enforce labor laws, workplace safety rules, environmental regulations, and other federal laws. Additionally, his companies have been the subject of at least 20 recent investigations or reviews, creating adversarial and significant entanglements with federal regulators.
For example, Mr. Musk’s automobile company, Tesla, has obtained nearly $42 million in government contracts to provide electric vehicles (EVs) and services to the government. The government indirectly subsidizes the company and its competitors via a $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Similarly, SpaceX, Mr. Musk’s rocket company, has received nearly $20 billion in government contracts, providing crucial rocket launches.
Indeed, Mr. Musk has already benefitted substantially from President-elect Trump’s victory: in the five days after the election, Tesla’s stock surge alone increased Mr. Musk’s fortune by $70 billion.
“Federal law contains ethics rules for government employees that are specifically designed to protect the public from dangerous conflicts of interest and ensure that government employees are working on behalf of the public interest rather than twisting government policy to line their own pockets,” continued the senator. “As a member of the transition team, Mr. Musk is not a federal employee, but the conflicts he faces are enormous and the need for him to be subject to similar ethics standards is obvious.”
On November 27, 2024, the Trump transition team released its Transition Team Ethics Plan, which outlines that “transition team members will avoid both actual and apparent conflicts of interest,” including financial interests of their “organization with which they have a business or close personal relationship.” Mr. Musk appears to be playing an influential role in the transition, especially as a key adviser to Trump and a high-profile policymaker in his role as co-chair of the DOGE Committee.
“He should be held to the ethics standards that you have established for your transition team and should provide clarity about his role and his activities in order to reassure the American public that he is working solely on their behalf and not using his role in the transition as an opportunity to fatten his own wallet,” concluded Senator Warren.
Senator Warren is requesting Trump’s transition team provide answers to her questions no later than December 23, 2024.
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