Technology
Biden hints at federal investigation of Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase
Critics called him a hypocrite for wanting to look at Musk’s foreign ties while overlooking his son Hunter’s
November 10, 2022 4:32pm
Updated: November 10, 2022 4:56pm
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that tech billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, which was partially funded by Saudi Arabia, should be investigated even as his son Hunter Biden is under scrutiny for his own foreign entanglements.
Biden made the comments in response to a reporter’s question about whether he considered Musk “a threat to U.S. national security, reports the New York Post.
“Do you think Elon Musk is a threat to US national security?” Bloomberg reporter Jenny Leonard asked at a White House press conference. “And should the US – and with the tools you have – investigate his joint acquisition of Twitter with foreign governments, which include the Saudis?”
“I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” responded Biden. “Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting that it’s worth being looked at.”
Reporter: "Do you think @elonmusk is a threat to national security?"
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 9, 2022
Biden: "It's worthy of being looked at." pic.twitter.com/x9AUeqGK3H
When asked by another reporter how Biden would investigate Musk, Biden laughed and answered, “There’s a lot of ways.” He did not elaborate.
A Saudi prince, who has had a stake in Twitter since 2011, is the second largest shareholder in the platform after Musk bought it for $44 billion last month.
The Tesla CEO’s cozy relationship with China, which accounts for a quarter of that company’s automotive revenue in the third quarter, has raised concern among U.S. lawmakers and national security experts.
Conservatives blasted Biden, who has reportedly been a “silent partner” in his son Hunter Biden’s shady dealings with foreign governments.
“Didn’t take long for Biden to openly threaten Musk for compromising their censorship regime,” tweeted Nick Dixon, a comedian and writer.
“Ban your main political opponents, suppress negative stories about your son to steal the election, then abuse your office to threaten the person trying to fix it. The CCP would be proud.”
Meanwhile, journalist Matt Taibbi asked, “Where’s the alleged wrongdoing justifying this? It’s bad enough that we investigate people without cause now, but having the President label people threats in public? And people are okay with this?”
