Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has urged President-elect Donald Trump to establish clear conflict of interest guidelines for Elon Musk if he continues to serve as a key adviser to the incoming administration, according to a report by The Washington Post.
“Putting Mr. Musk in a position to influence billions of dollars of government contracts and regulatory enforcement without a stringent conflict of interest agreement in place is an invitation for corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes,” Warren wrote in a letter to Trump.
The letter, sent from Warren’s Senate office, highlighted an ethics policy set by the General Services Administration requiring members of Trump’s transition team to “avoid both actual and apparent conflicts of interest.” The policy prohibits personnel from engaging in matters involving specific parties that could affect their financial interests.
Musk, listed as the world’s richest person with an estimated fortune of $474 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, contributed more than $250 million to Trump’s campaign and joined him at Mar-a-Lago on election night. As co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk’s ethics arrangements remain unclear. The Washington Post noted, “It is not clear what ethics rules, if any, Musk has agreed to follow in his role as a Trump adviser.”
Warren emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, stating, “As your Transition Team Ethics Plan makes clear, the role of government is not to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans; a strong, enforceable ethics plan for the world’s richest man is a necessary first step for delivering on that promise.”
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the transition team, responded to Warren’s concerns by taking a swipe at her. “President Trump has assembled the most impressive and qualified team of innovators, entrepreneurs, and geniuses to advise and staff our government,” Leavitt said. “Pocahontas can play political games and send toothless letters, but the Trump-Vance transition will continue to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards possible — a standard unfamiliar to a career politician whose societal impact is 1/1024th of Elon Musk’s.”
Musk’s business interests, including Tesla and SpaceX, frequently intersect with federal regulatory agencies. Tesla has also benefited from federal funds for its electric vehicle charging network. Federal employees are generally barred from participating in matters that could financially benefit them.
When asked about Musk’s dual roles as a presidential adviser and business leader, Trump defended him, stating, “I think that Elon puts the country long before his company. He considers this to be his most important project, and he wanted to do it.”
In her letter, Warren specifically questioned whether Musk would recuse himself from matters involving Tesla, SpaceX, or other companies he owns or has significant investments in. She wrote, “Currently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country — or merely good for his own bottom line.”
