Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink, has been referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) over potential criminal corruption. On Monday, a group of prominent Democratic senators called for an investigation Musk’s involvement in a recent decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to upgrade air traffic control communications. The FAA then moved to have Musk’s company, Starlink, help manage U.S. airspace.
Senators Chris Van Hollen, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Pam Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General, and Mitch Behm, the acting inspector general of the Department of Transportation, requesting an investigation. They suggested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General look into whether Musk, in his role as a special government employee, violated conflict-of-interest laws by using his government position for personal gain.
The senators expressed concern that Musk might be using his influence in the White House to benefit his private businesses, especially since reports have surfaced about Starlink providing hardware to the FAA. Although Starlink claimed it was donating this hardware for free, there are reports suggesting the FAA might soon enter into a significant deal with the company.
As noted by The Guardian, Musk has made significant donations to Donald Trump’s election campaign and has been tasked with reducing federal spending and staff. The Democrats emphasized that, as a special government employee, Musk should be bound by federal conflict-of-interest rules and may be using his government role for personal business interests.
The senators pointed to reports from various news outlets, including the Washington Post, RollingStone, and Bloomberg, which suggested that SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink, had staff working with the FAA and that Starlink might soon secure a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. However, SpaceX has denied these reports, calling them false and saying there’s no intention to take over existing contracts.
In February, Musk made a public appearance with Trump and said that any actions taken by his companies would be transparent. He also stated that if there were any conflicts of interest, people would point them out right away. Trump echoed this sentiment, saying that if there were any conflicts, Musk would not be allowed to pursue those projects.
Democratic lawmakers have long criticized Trump for appointing wealthy corporate figures to high-level government positions, arguing that they use their positions to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary Americans. Last week, Trump publicly supported Musk’s Tesla business, even as Tesla’s stock price has faced difficulties.
The Democrats also accused Musk of attacking and weakening federal agencies that regulate his companies while his businesses continue to benefit from billions in federal contracts. They also raised concerns about Musk’s other ventures, including his attempts to purchase OpenAI and his push for greater government reliance on artificial intelligence.
The letter to the White House, which was signed by several Democrats, outlined these concerns and called for actions to address them. They asked for a review of Musk’s potential conflicts of interest and called on the Trump administration to take steps to restore oversight and transparency, including reinstating fired government watchdogs and requiring Musk to release his financial disclosures.
In addition, the senators asked Trump to answer six specific questions about his administration’s ethics practices, including whether he would commit to protecting government watchdogs, disclosing financial interests, and addressing potential conflicts involving Musk’s companies.
The Democrats set a deadline of March 31 for Trump to respond to these questions.
