Musk And Trump — The Road Ahead Is Strewn With Ethical Challenges

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A couple of days in the past, Scott Cooneythe householder of CleanTechnicadespatched me a word by way of interoffice mail asking me if I had thought of writing a narrative about Elon Musk and the way his monetary assist of Donald Trump within the final election had boosted his personal fortunes. At that second, I didn’t have any lively plans to take action, however previously few days, plenty of pertinent gadgets have discovered their means into my inbox. They are saying there are three kinds of individuals on the earth — those that make issues occur, those that know what’s occurring, and people who marvel what occurred. Our objective is to maintain our readers out of that third group.

The spur that satisfied me to delve into this matter was a latest article in Bloomberg that handled this very concern. It cited a report by CNBC that Musk’s internet price increased by $70 billion inside 5 days of the newest election. He reportedly spent $250 million of his personal cash to get Trump elected. That’s an enormous revenue. The query turns into, did Musk spend that cash to assist Trump or to assist himself? The proper reply could also be “both.”

As Bloomberg factors out, Musk is the proprietor of a number of massive corporations which have main contracts with the US authorities. A number of of these corporations even have regulatory points with numerous authorities companies — points that might get swept below the rug by the subsequent administration. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota warned not too long ago that it is crucial for the general public to know the motivations of rich individuals who work in any administration. “You have a number of very wealthy people going into the Trump administration,” she mentioned on Bloomberg Tv. “We need conflict rules enforced. We need to know the decisions they’re making are not for their own interests but for the interest of the American people.”

Musk And Ethics In Authorities

As an unelected advisor to the subsequent administration, Musk isn’t lined by the ethics guidelines that apply to federal workers. The Trump transition workforce has launched an ethics plan prohibiting its members from engaged on “particular matters involving specific parties” that have an effect on their monetary pursuits. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is skeptical. She fired off a letter to Trump that specified her considerations not too long ago. She alluded to the quite a few contracts the US authorities has with SpaceX and Tesla, and mentioned his corporations have been topic to “at least 20 recent investigations or reviews” by federal regulatory companies. She cited experiences simply within the final week of developments in investigations by the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) into Neuralink and Musk’s buy of Twitter.

In her letter, Senator Warren made reference to a number of connections between Musk-owned corporations and the federal authorities. “In addition to their substantial dependence on government contracts and other forms of direct and indirect government support, 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. Others explain that Mr. Musk’ “entanglements with federal regulators are … numerous and adversarial.” His corporations have been the topic of not less than “20 recent investigations or reviews,” together with these carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)which has opened 5 investigations into Tesla; the Justice Division, which has sued SpaceX over its hiring practices; the Transportation Division, which has fined Neuralink, Mr. Musk’s mind implant firm, for violating guidelines concerning the motion of hazardous supplies; and the Nationwide Labor Relations Board, which SpaceX is trying to “defang” via a collection of lawsuits.

Pricey Donald

Listed here are related elements or that letter. Her footnotes have been deleted right here however might be discovered within the authentic textual content on the hyperlink above.

“Mr. Musk’s substantial non-public pursuits current an enormous battle of curiosity with the function he has taken on as your ‘unofficial co-president.’ Presently, the American public has no means of realizing whether or not the recommendation that he’s whispering to you in secret is nice for the nation — or merely good for his personal backside line. The proof reveals the advantages which have already accrued for Mr. Musk: within the 5 days after the election, Tesla’s inventory surge alone elevated Mr. Musk’s fortune by $70 billion as he ‘cashe(d) in on his investments’ he made in your marketing campaign.

“Two experiences from this previous week point out the extent to which Mr. Musk might have clear conflicts of curiosity associated to the recommendation he’s giving as a part of the transition workforce and as co-chair of DOGE. First, Mr. Musk, on December 13, launched a Safety and Trade Fee (SEC) ‘settlement demand’ associated to his buy of Twitter, indicating that he was dealing with imminent costs associated to potential securities fraud. Info launched by Mr. Musk’s lawyer additionally indicated that the SEC had reopened an investigation into one other considered one of his corporations, Neuralink. And that very same day, press experiences indicated that the Trump Transition workforce had really helpful repealing a Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration reporting requirement that corporations report crash knowledge from automated automobiles – a change that ‘would particularly benefit Tesla.’

“As a key adviser to you and a high profile policymaker in his role as co-chair of the DOGE Committee, Mr. Musk appears to be playing an extraordinarily influential role in the transition, and it appears that he is poised to continue doing so after you assume office on January 20, 2025. 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.”

Warren requested for a response to her letter by December 23. What she obtained was an announcement from Trump transition workforce spokesperson Karoline Leavitt who dismissed the letter and mocked Warren as “Pocahontas,” a racist reference to Warren’s earlier assertion of distant Native American heritage, Bloomberg experiences. “Pocahontas can play political games and send toothless letters, but the Trump-Vance transition will continue to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards possible,” Leavitt mentioned. The emphasis must be on the phrase “possible.” Each group displays the ethics of its leaders, so on this case meaning previous “Grab ’em by the pussy” Trump is setting the bar as little as doable. E. Jean Carroll may provide some perception into the person’s moral requirements or lack thereof.

So, is Musk pushing his views as a result of he thinks they’re good for the nation or as a result of he thinks they’re good for himself? In 1958, Sherman Adams, chief of employees to President Eisenhower, was dismissed from his place when it was discovered he had accepted an costly vicuna coat from a South American diplomat. That’s what setting a excessive moral bar appears like, not the transactional requirements of Donald Trump who shamelessly seeks disparaging data from a international authorities to smear a political opponent. The person has no ethics and by no means has.

We’ve got this advice for Elon: “When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.” Musk might imagine he has this entire factor wired, however satisfaction rides earlier than a fall, my previous Irish grandmother preferred to say. He must be conscious that there’s just one solar in Donald Trump’s universe — himself — and anybody who makes an attempt to compete with him is more likely to undergo drastically. The identical one that may assist Musk considerably may simply as simply resolve to make life depressing for him. Watch out what you want for, Elon. You simply would possibly get it.

Featured picture: Mashup by Carolyn Fortuna/CleanTechnica from “Donald Trump Signs The Pledge” by Michael Vadon, licensed below CC BY-SA 2.0. + “Elon Musk” by Daniel Oberhaus (2018)licensed below CC BY 2.0.