US President Joe Biden speaks on the eve of the US midterm elections, at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, on November 7, 2022
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Bloomberg reported that senior Biden officials were discussing ways to probe Elon Musk's businesses
  • U.S. officials are concerned over Musk's Starlink services in Ukraine and his recent acquisition of Twitter
  • Democratic Senator Chris Murphy condemned Saudi Arabia's participation in Musk's Twitter takeover

President Joe Biden is open to probing Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's relationships with other countries.

The president was asked at a White House press conference whether the billionaire's business dealings pose a threat to national security.

"I think that Elon Musk's cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at," Biden told reporters.

Pressed on how his administration will investigate Musk, Biden responded: "There's a lot of ways."

Bloomberg reported that Biden administration officials were discussing whether to subject Musk's businesses to national security reviews.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson pushed back on the report.

"We do not know of any such conversations," Watson told CNN.

People familiar with the matter said one possibility of probing Musk is through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel led by the Treasury Department.

The committee is tasked to review transactions of U.S. businesses with interests from foreign entities.

It has also been reported that Musk's SpaceX Starlink satellite service, Tesla, and his acquisition of Twitter are among his businesses that could be investigated by CFIUS.

In October, Musk threatened to stop Starlink's satellite service that provides internet to Ukraine and its military, which caused concern among U.S. officials.

The aerospace company requested Pentagon funding as the operation cost them $80 million. While Pentagon is open to funding Starlink services to Ukraine, Musk has withdrawn SpaceX's request and vowed to continue providing internet "to keep the country free."

Musk's Tesla has significant operations in China as the country manufactures almost half of its car fleet. It is the company's second-largest market and recently secured loans from Chinese banks worth $1.6 billion. The businessman was criticized for his alleged close ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

The businessman's $44 billion Twitter takeover also faced a significant backlash, as some foreign investors pledged to help Musk finance his deal. Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a prominent Twitter shareholder, congratulated Musk for his Twitter deal and called him a "friend."

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the chair of a Foreign Relations subcommittee, condemned Saudi Arabia's role as one of the company's investors and urged CFIUS to review the financing of Musk's Twitter deal.

Tesla chief and Twitter owner Elon Musk
AFP