JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – He is the world’s richest man. He is also the president’s largest campaign benefactor. His companies have grown on government contracts. And he is calling a lot of the shots in Washington.
He is Elon Musk an unelected businessman who has spent the last couple of weeks with his allies tearing through Washington causing confusion and chaos in government agencies.
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Among the questions begging to be asked: How can he wield that kind of power? How can he run roughshod over laws and programs set up by Congress?
There are obvious conflicts of interest. Why are they not being questioned?
There are indications that the tech billionaire is getting reminders from the White House that he still needs to report to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
In fact, President Donald Trump suggested just that publicly and aides have reported he said the same thing. Musk may not prefer it that way.
That said, he has wide latitude to slash spending and make changes to the way the federal government operates. And he is doing it at a rapid, even breakneck speed.
Let’s tackle the obvious conflict of interest first. Musk spending more than $290 million on the 2024 election. Federal filings show the money was spent to boost Trump’s chances at returning to the White House, as well as securing spots for other Republicans.
There is also evidence Musk was jockeying for influence. All you have to do is look at Federal Election Commission filings. Musk put more than $11 million into his main super PAC. The money was earmarked for “petition incentives.” The incentives were meant to drive voter registration.
Sure, there were legal challenges, but the challenges fell through, and the initiatives continued.
In the end, Musk spent more than $50 million of the $290 million he invested in the election on those giveaways, according to filings involving that super PAC.
If you look at the big picture, most of the money Musk spent went to supporting Trump.
And now where do we see Musk? He is firmly rooted in everything Trump does and is ready to reap a substantial return on his “political investment.”
Concerning the moves the unelected Musk is making. He claims to be reclaiming government for you, the taxpaying voter.
Well, his Department of Government Efficiency has control of the Treasury Department’s payment system. That is a financial waterworks… a spigot. The system sends out trillions of dollars each year.
Your Social Security payments and federal salaries are funneled through the portal. That means there’s sensitive data on there, like your Social Security number. That alone should raise concerns.
“Controlling the system could allow the Trump Administration to ‘unilaterally’ — and illegally — cut off payments for millions of Americans, putting at risk the financial security of families and businesses based on political favoritism or the whims of Mr. Musk and those on his team who have worked their way inside," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts.
And she went one step further.
“It could also give them access to millions of Americans' personal and financial information that is protected by law,” Warren said.
The Treasury Department, trying to assuage fears, says the access is “read-only.”
Then there are the issues of mass firings, steep spending cuts, and offers of retirement for federal employees. The list goes on. Who knows what’s next?
On Politics and Power, we get to the bottom line. “We the people” are supposed to know about the people who run our government. With so much political power, Elon Musk can change history. With the way he is running about in such an unfettered manner are America’s secrets safe?
Political analyst Mike Binder from the University of North Florida joins me for our latest episode. Watch at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Tuesday on News4JAX+. Or catch it any time on demand, starting Wednesday, on News4JAX+, News4JAX.com and our YouTube channel.