The State Department removed mention this week of Elon Musk’s Tesla in a potential $400 million contract to buy armored Cybertruck vehicles.
Though the billionaire denied the federal government planned to spend that much on his electric vehicles and the State Department says the inquiry was made before President Donald Trump took office, it comes as questions swirl about conflicts of interest involving Musk’s high-profile White House role and his expansive private company portfolio.
The State Department and Cybertruck ado comes as boundaries blur between Musk’s business empire and his powerful role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” agency examining all government spending. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., sent a letter Monday to the White House asking if Musk will “seek to use his new position to shield his companies from federal scrutiny.”
Musk’s companies have gotten $13 billion in federal government contracts over the last five years, according to the New York Times, mostly via his private aerospace and communications firm SpaceX. But Musk, a “special government employee,” isn’t “gaining anything” from his White House position, Trump said in an interview with Fox News aired Sunday.