WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, wants information from the Commerce Department about how Elon Musk could be leveraging his work on streamlining the federal government to enrich himself.
President Donald Trump tapped the tech billionaire and CEO of Tesla to lead the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency effort, which has included cutting staffing and spending at various federal agencies.
Critics have raised concerns about how Musk’s actions could impact his own businesses, whether in relation to the federal funding they receive or oversight of their operations by federal regulators.
Crockett joined the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, in voicing those concerns Tuesday to John Guenther, the Commerce Department’s acting general counsel.
They wrote in a letter to Guenther that Trump has granted “expansive and unlawful authority” to Musk in an unprecedented arrangement.
“Mr. Musk also remains in charge of a sprawling private sector business empire that continues to rely on billions of dollars in government funding and has been charged with managing his own conflicts of interest,” they wrote in the letter.
The administration hasn’t released Musk’s financial disclosure filings, they wrote, which hides the extent of his conflicts from the public.
“We demand documents and information to bring such conflicts to light, as well as immediate action to address this corrupt arrangement that threatens accountable, democratic governance,” they wrote.
The White House has said Musk has pledged to avoid potential conflicts of interest and is following all applicable laws.
Asked for comment Tuesday about the Crockett and Connolly letter, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields provided a statement.
“Crockett and her followers in the Democratic Party are simply all hammer and no nail,” Fields said. “When she’s leading the Democrats in ‘oversight,’ that’s when you know the party is in shambles. Her constituents should DOGE her in the next election.”
In their letter, the lawmakers highlighted what they characterized as several conflicts between Musk’s business interests and his work in the administration.
They pointed to federal funding to Musk companies such as SpaceX and Starlink and quoted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick encouraging Fox News viewers to buy Tesla stock.
The lawmakers wrote that DOGE has cut staffing at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the Commerce Department.
They highlighted concerns that those cuts could pave the way to privatize space and satellite operations and result in new contracts for SpaceX and Starlink.
The lawmakers asked for documents about department matters in which Musk’s businesses have a stake and steps the department is taking to ensure compliance with all conflict of interest and ethics laws regarding Musk.
They asked for the names of any federal employees or contractors involved in investigating Musk’s businesses who were removed from their positions at the urging of DOGE or Musk.
