Leading Democrats demanded on Monday an investigation into possible criminal corruption involving Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and world’s richest man tasked by Donald Trump with reducing federal spending.
Senators Chris Van Hollen, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren requested an investigation into the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to upgrade air traffic control communications and pay Musk’s Starlink to manage US airspace.
They wrote to Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and Mitch Behm, the acting inspector general of the Transportation Department.
“We ask that the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice investigate the scope of Mr Musk’s activities at the FAA,” the senators replied.
The letter stated that an investigation will be conducted to determine if Musk, as a special government employee in the White House, has a financial interest in any matter that could violate the criminal conflict-of-interest statute.
Sent amid widespread concern about the state of the US air traffic control system under Trump, following a series of fatal crashes and accidents, the letter and two others were provided exclusively to the Guardian.
In a lengthy letter to Susie Wiles, Trump’s White House chief of staff, the three senators, joined by Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, cited congressional oversight powers when they asked to “provide written assurances that [the administration] will immediately remediate the worst” instances of a long list of alleged conflicts of interest and corruption arising from Trump’s first two months in office.
A third letter requested that Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general, launch a Government Accountability Office investigation into whether the appointment of former Georgia congressman Doug Collins to lead both the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Government Ethics undermines either.
Musk’s vast wealth has been accumulated through companies such as Tesla, X, and SpaceX, which manufactures Starlink satellite internet technology.
After donating hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump’s election campaign, he now leads the so-called “department of government efficiency,” or Doge, an effort to reduce federal budgets and staffing.
Addressing Bondi and Behm, the Democrats stated that Musk, as a special government employee, should be “subject to federal conflict-of-interest rules” and “may be using his government role to benefit his own private company”.
The Democrats cited the Washington Post, Bloomberg News, and Rolling Stone, saying: “Reports indicate that some personnel from SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, have already begun working at the FAA.
“In addition, Starlink has begun shipping its hardware to the FAA, despite the fact that the company has stated that it is providing the agency with satellite kits for free. However, sources claim that the FAA has directed staff to “begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal.”
SpaceX has denied reports about its FAA dealings, stating that “Starlink is a possible partial fix to an ageing system.” There is no effort or intent for Starlink to ‘take over’ any existing contract; that is just FUD,” which stands for “fear, uncertainty, and doubt.”
In a joint appearance with Trump in the Oval Office in February, Musk stated that “all of our actions are fully public.” So, if you see something, say, “Wait a second, hey, you know what…” That appears to be a conflict, and people are not shy about expressing it. “They’ll say it right away.”
Trump stated that if he suspected Musk of having a conflict, “we would not let him do that segment or look in that area”.
Since his entry into politics in 2015, Trump has faced numerous allegations of corruption and conflicts of interest.
The Democrats wrote to Wiles in a letter: “Despite President Trump’s promises to fight for working families, he has appointed a string of corporate billionaires and industry insiders, putting them in positions to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary Americans.”
Last week, Trump used the White House lawn to try to attract customers to Musk’s company, Tesla, which has seen its stock price plummet due to concerns about Musk’s cost-cutting and outrage over behaviour such as giving Nazi salutes and abusing US allies.
The Democrats accused Musk, Trump’s “unelected ‘co-president,'” of “relentlessly attacking and disarming federal agencies that regulate his companies, even as his companies have benefited from billions of dollars in federal contracts.”
According to the Democrats, “corruption scandals were a feature of President Trump’s first term,” and potential scandals in the second include appointing lobbyists to roles overseeing their own industries and allowing other appointees to give investments in their own sectors to their adult children.
Instances cited included Trump promoting his own social media platform and cryptocurrency ventures; continuing to seek to expand his foreign and domestic real estate holdings, including an attempt to buy back the former Trump Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue; and using his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida as “a well-oiled pay-to-play machine”.
The Democrats cited Trump’s firing of the director of the Office of Government Ethics, a first in US history, as well as his dismissal of “at least 17 inspectors general,” independent department watchdogs, without properly notifying Congress, and his attempt to fire the head of the Office of Special Counsel.
But, despite everything, the Democrats said Trump’s decision to “cede power” to Musk was his most concerning move.
Democrats told Wiles that since President Trump took office, at least 11 agencies with ‘investigations, pending complaints or enforcement actions’ against Musk’s companies have been hamstrung, including the firing of independent commissioners and the rollback of their independence.
“Meanwhile, Musk’s companies – which have already received at least $38bn in federal funding – are vying for new federal contracts.”
The letter also mentioned the state department’s potential purchase of Tesla vehicles, as well as Musk’s attempt to purchase OpenAI while “insisting that agencies increase their reliance on artificial intelligence”.
“Musk has done all of this without so much as disclosing his financial interests to the public,” a Democrat said.
The Democrats said Trump could still take steps “to reverse course and put our national interests ahead of his personal dealings”.
Reinstating fired watchdogs, vetting nominees for conflicts of interest, and revoking Musk’s “power to profit from his efforts to manipulate the executive branch for his own benefit” while being required “to promptly release his financial disclosure form so that the public can understand his potential conflicts of interest” were among the steps taken.
The Democrats set a deadline of March 31 for Wiles to answer six questions.
They asked Trump to reinstate “all government watchdogs he has purportedly fired and protect their independence from political interference,” not appoint officials with direct conflicts of interest that cannot be resolved under existing ethics law, issue an ethics pledge for new nominees, divest from private business interests, and disclose his tax returns.
Trump, Musk, and Wiles did not immediately respond.
