Good to see House Oversight Committee Democrats, led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), calling out this blatant corruption, kleptocracy, etc.
| Ranking Member Connolly Sounds the Alarm on Ethics Violations After President Trump and White House Employees Hawk Elon Musk’s Cars |
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Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Mr. David Warrington, Counsel to the President, requesting a full accounting of any executive branch employees, special or otherwise, that assisted President Trump in turning the South Lawn of the White House into “a temporary Tesla showroom in a conspicuous favor to his adviser Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of the car company.”
Elon Musk’s “Salesman in Chief” even came equipped with handwritten talking points that included pricing and financing information for the cars. “I write regarding a White House event that appeared to endorse Tesla motor cars in violation of federal ethics laws. Americans are struggling to afford groceries, childcare, and housing. They are bracing themselves for the impact of the Trump Administration’s tariffs and other inflationary policies. They are watching their investments in the stock market plummet since President Trump took office. And they have been told by the President to prepare for a recession. President Trump’s solution to the mounting economic crises is a car ad that he hoped would boost the stock price of Tesla, a company headed by his one of his biggest campaign donors who is also a federal employee, Elon Musk,” wrote Ranking Member Connolly. In his letter, Ranking Member Connolly cites federal law expressly prohibiting federal employees’ “use of their Government position or title or any authority associated with their public office to endorse any product, service, or enterprise.” “Media reports show that the Tesla corporation ‘delivered five of its vehicles to the White House and parked them on a driveway’ in what could only be described as turning ‘the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom.’ This event included photo opportunities of the President beside Elon Musk, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer, in Tesla vehicles that undoubtedly gave the ‘appearance of governmental sanction’ of Tesla products. The President’s earlier social media description of Tesla as ‘one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’’ further raises questions about whether a special government employee may have induced the President to further endorse a product or company,” concluded the Ranking Member. To better understand the breadth and severity of the numerous ethics violations that White House staff – including Elon Musk in his role as a “Special Government Employee” – may have committed, the Ranking Member asked for a response to his requests no later than March 26, 2025. Click here to read the letter to the Counsel to the President. |
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