President Biden suggested Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and his relationships with foreign countries should be investigated after being asked if he believed the billionaire presented a “national security risk.”
Biden’s comments, made during a press conference on Wednesday, were prompted by a reporter who noted the Twitter purchase included Saudi investors.
“Mr. President, do you think Elon Musk is a threat to U.S. national security?” asked Bloomberg reporter Jenny Leonard. “And should the U.S. — and with the tools you have — investigate his joint acquisition of Twitter with foreign governments, which include the Saudis?”
Though he qualified that he wasn’t indicating Musk had done anything inappropriate, the President insisted the Twitter CEO’s relationships with other countries are “worthy of being looked at.”
When asked how a review could be undertaken, Biden simply replied, “There’s a lot of ways.”
Bloomberg’s @jendeben: “Do you think Elon Musk is a threat to US national security, and should the US investigate his joint acquisition of Twitter with foreign governments?”
Biden: “Musk’s cooperation… with other countries is worthy of being looked at.” https://t.co/n6wYsbCwhY pic.twitter.com/MP3EsYGPj0
— Bloomberg (@business) November 9, 2022
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Biden Suggests Elon Musk’s Relationships Need to be Investigated
It’s easy to see that President Biden is feeling pretty good about the midterms, as evidenced by the fact that a man who reportedly tried to pressure the Saudis to keep gas prices lower before Election Day is suggesting Elon Musk’s investments with them need to be investigated today.
To just wantonly signal to your Department of Justice with a wink and a nod to start digging deeper is next-level chutzpah.
But there he stood at the podium, pressuring an investigation of a man who not all that long ago was heralded as a hero for interjecting his Starlink satellite internet service as a defense for Ukraine in their war with Russia.
Joe Biden just said @elonmusk “is worth being looked at” as a national security threat
A reporter calls him out by asking “HOW?!”
A clueless Joe Biden panics, mumbles, and says, “there’s a lot of ways”
ELONGATE?! pic.twitter.com/7a0mxPtHz0
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 9, 2022
Arabian Business reports that Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the Middle East’s richest investors, is the second-largest investor in Twitter after Musk’s acquisition.
Saudi Arabia and members of its extended royal family are regular investors in U.S. tech companies, and bin Talal first made a $300 million investment in Twitter in 2011. The Obama/Biden administration didn’t ‘look into’ anything at the time.
Musk took over Twitter at the end of October and immediately began implementing significant changes, including the firing of top executives and thousands of employees.
what I really want to know is what the president decided not to say about @elonmusk. https://t.co/zfZU7UcjfO
— Jenny Leonard (@jendeben) November 9, 2022
RELATED: Saudis Claim Biden Tried to Delay Oil Production Cut Until AFTER the Election
What About Biden’s Relationships With Foreign Countries?
The Political Insider revealed in early October that top officials in Saudi Arabia had accused the Biden administration of asking for a delay of the kingdom’s oil production cut and the subsequent effect on gas prices until after the midterm elections.
“The Government of the Kingdom clarified through its continuous consultation with the US Administration that all economic analyses indicate that postponing the OPEC+ decision for a month, according to what has been suggested, would have had negative economic consequences,” a statement released by the Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia at the time reads.
BREAKING: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms Biden attempted to coerce them to postpone oil cuts until after the midterms, announce they have rejected his quid pro quo pic.twitter.com/MGNRbZVrRk
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) October 13, 2022
Perhaps a Republican majority in the House would lead to investigations of Biden’s attempts to sway the election by collaborating with a foreign adversary, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Conservative commentators were quick to note that the President’s own relationship with foreign countries and the business dealings of his son were equally ‘worth being looked at.”
What about your relationships with other countries, Joe? https://t.co/DVZdA2ciJu
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 9, 2022
Republican political strategist Chuck Callesto suggested there need to be calls for a federal investigation of the President’s son and his ‘relationships with other countries.’
Biden calls for federal investigation of ELON MUSK over ‘relationships with other countries’..
IT SHOULD READ
Biden calls for federal investigation of HIS SON HUNTER over ‘relationships with other countries’..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) November 10, 2022
President Biden has met with several of his son’s business partners throughout the years – many of whom are foreign entities from Ukraine, China, and Kazakhstan.
Last month, left-wing columnist David Frum argued that Musk’s Starlink company should be seized by the federal government to provide free internet to Ukraine as the war with Russia rages on.
It was always unreasonable, and is becoming unwise, to expect @elonmusk to provide Internet to Ukraine for free forever. Western allies should pay. And US should have a plan ready to nationalize Starlink fast if Musk cuts off Ukraine’s connection to advance his political agenda.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 17, 2022
The Biden era has ushered in an administration that has blatantly investigated political opponents and a media publicly calling for the government to seize the property of private citizens.
Judging by the election results on Tuesday, American voters are okay with seeing more of that behavior going forward.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
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