What’s Going On With US State Department $400M Armored Tesla Cybertruck Order?

Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on e mail. Or follow us on Google News!

Final Up to date on: thirteenth February 2025, 10:33 am

There’s a little bit of a bizarre story on the market relating to a US State Division order for $400 million value of armored Tesla Cybertrucks. There are nonetheless some issues that aren’t clear about this, however I’m going to share what we all know, after which add some conjecture. Right here’s what has happened:

• In a State Division doc that was titled “Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025 (Revised 12/23/2024),” a line merchandise was included that learn “Armored Tesla (Production Units),” final revised December 13 (till not too long ago).
• The full for that line merchandise was $400 million, making it the largest expenditure on the checklist.
• Elon Musk apparently thought it was a lie, writing on X in response to an MSNBC/Rachel Maddow phase on the matter, “Hey @Maddow, why the lie?”
• At present, he wrote, “I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least.”
• The doc has now been retitled “Department of State Procurement Forecast Year 2025” and the $400M line merchandise now simply says “Armored Electric Vehicles.”
• Whereas that is for a 2025 procurement forecast, the $400M line merchandise is for a 5-year contract.

It appears to me that somebody on “the Elon Musk side” who’s now concerned in setting State Division procurement plans intends to order $400 million value of armored Tesla autos, in all probability Cybertrucks, this yr. Whereas that appears ridiculous in lots of regards, it’s additionally something that could have been expectedparticularly when you think about dramatic lack of regular processes, destruction of our separation of powers, and general Banana Republic habits that’s typifying this Trump–Musk presidency. In any case, Musk’s response to a reporter asking him the way it’s not a battle of curiosity for DOGE to audit Division of Protection contracts when the Division of Protection provides contracts to SpaceX was that he’s not personally the one at SpaceX who writes the contract proposals. They stage of idiocy or madness in that response is one thing I simply can’t recover from.

Would it not be higher for the State Division to make use of a bunch of armored electrical autos (even Cybertrucks) than armored Cadillac Escalades or Ford Tahoes or Chevrolet Suburbans or such? I definitely assume so. Nevertheless, is that this all beginning to come throughout as blatant corruption? Effectively …. if you put “Tesla” on the road merchandise earlier than placing out a request for proposals, yeah, it certain does.

Additionally, as NPR summarizes, “As Musk’s deputies have gained access to nearly two dozen federal agencies, ethics experts have raised concern about the billionaire running into conflicts of interest, since Musk runs six companies, some of which are under investigation by government authorities. Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, also have multibillion-dollar contracts with the federal government.” There are blatant and stunning conflicts of curiosity.

BREAKING: Elon, whom Trump allowed to talk as if he had been President, says him auditing the DoD isn’t a battle of curiosity as a result of he’s not personally submitting for presidency contracts at his firms, his workers are. They actually imagine we’re that silly. pic.twitter.com/oQg0wbWqax

— Actually American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) February 11, 2025

Not less than 11 federal businesses focused by the Trump-Musk firings and cuts “have more than 32 continuing investigations, pending complaints or enforcement actions into Mr. Musk’s six companies”

per @nytimes pic.twitter.com/ap1qsK9Voq

— Ian Sams (@IanSams) February 11, 2025

This morning, I despatched a letter to the Workplace of Authorities Ethics (OGE) relating to @elon musk‘s potential conflicts of curiosity.

Inside minutes, the White Home confirmed receipt.

By midday, President Trump fired the Director of OGE.

I wish to know: Was this to forestall his reply?

– Adam Schiff (@senadam ship) February 11, 2025