Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday night demanding answers and documents relating to the State Department’s possible purchase of $400 million worth of armored Tesla Cybertrucks from the company run by Elon Musk.
“Mr. Musk’s dual roles pose conflicts of interest so obvious that they hardly require explanation,” the Connecticut Democrat wrote in the letter obtained by CBS News. “The State Department’s intent to purchase armored Cybertrucks suggests the conflicts of interest inherent in Mr. Musk’s installation of his cronies throughout the government are not being adequately managed and, in fact, are increasing by the minute.
“In the 15 months since it was released, the Cybertruck has been widely derided and subject to at least six separate recalls. Indeed, Tesla has reportedly had “disastrous” sales numbers for the Cybertruck. It hardly seems like the type of reliable vehicle the State Department would choose for this contract absent a heavy thumb on the scale.”
Blumenthal asked for a response by Feb 21.
Last week, he opened a preliminary inquiry into Musk and his companies.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, who is also CEO of SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter), has enormous government contracts and was a huge contributor to Mr. Trump’s campaign.
He heads the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which, while not an official government agency, is aggressively pursuing ways to cut the federal budget.
Musk’s team has gone into computer systems in numerous agencies looking for what he calls waste, fraud and abuse. Numerous lawsuits have been filed challenging his authority to do that.
In October, GM Defense completed its first Suburban Shield — a heavy-duty armored version of the suburban for the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The program is intended to provide armored SUVs to DSS and more than a dozen other federal agencies, according to GM Defense. GM won the 10-year, up to $300 million dollar contract in November 2023.
Kris Van Cleave
Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms.
