(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Our South African President [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-12-17 Some items just today about a certain South African immigrant: Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Reviews After Violations of Security Reporting Rules Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders, according to people with knowledge of the company and internal documents. Concerns about the reporting practices — and particularly about Mr. Musk, who is SpaceX’s chief executive — have triggered at least three federal reviews, eight people with knowledge of the efforts said. . . . While the 53-year-old has long blown past norms and conventions that do not suit him or his companies, the stakes are arguably higher when it comes to national security matters. . . . [S]ince at least 2021, Mr. Musk and SpaceX have not adhered to those reporting requirements, the people with knowledge of SpaceX said. He and his team have not provided some details of his travel — such as his full itineraries — and some of his meetings with foreign leaders, they said. He has also not reported his use of drugs, which is required even with a prescription, they said. Most people, even very wealthy and powerful people, would make at least a fig leaf attempt to cover their lack of adherence to the law. Musk seems to relish and flaunt his lack of interest in — and his evident immunity from — following the laws of the country which took him in, gave him citizenship, and made him the wealthiest man in the world. Example (from Dec 12): Musk’s Foundation Gave Away Less Money Than Required in 2023 New tax filings show that the Musk Foundation fell $421 million short of the amount it was required to give away in 2023. Now, Mr. Musk has until the end of the year to distribute that money, or he will be required to pay a sizable penalty to the Internal Revenue Service. Which may explain why: The I.R.S. appears to be among Mr. Musk’s early targets as a leader of Mr. Trump’s government efficiency initiative. The tax agency serves as the federal government’s charity regulator and thus oversees Mr. Musk’s foundation. It doesn’t stop with the US, either. Elon Musk Met With Nigel Farage at Mar-a-Lago On Tuesday, Nigel Farage, the British politician who is an ally of Mr. Trump and the leader of the anti-immigration Reform U.K. party, [went to Mar-a-Lago], sharing an image on social media that showed him at the resort with the tech billionaire Elon Musk. . . . As a foreign national, Mr. Musk cannot make personal political donations in Britain, but private companies that operate in the country can do so under British rules, meaning donations could potentially be made via X or Tesla, his electric vehicle company. Some Democrats are already concerned. Elizabeth Warren asks Trump to set conflict-of-interest rules for Musk: “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. “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.” The Trump team’s response (warning: if you are holding any liquids, put them down NOW before proceeding any further): “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.” Then there’s Matt Levine at Bloomberg — Elon Musk Heard From the SEC — who asks: You and I and most people are approximately 100% subject to the law. If we do crimes we’ll get arrested; if we commit securities violations we’ll get fined; if we drive too fast we’ll get pulled over. Elon Musk is, like, 60% subject to the law? In roughly a month, he will be, like, 20% subject to the law? [footnotes omitted] Levine then quotes from a Wall St, Journal (link provided in the article, but subscription required): Right yes, right now using ketamine and chatting with Vladimir Putin would prevent most people from getting top US security clearances, and they are modest impediments even for Musk. In a few weeks, perhaps not. No wonder Musk is jumping up and down. He is showing himself to be someone who can outdo Trump in contempt for the law and the ability to get away with it. On top of which, he is already acting like a shadow president. Now, I’ve suggested before that Trump may tire of Musk’s ego outshining his; eventually, Trump tires of everyone. In this case, it is just possible Trump has met his match (or his musk, as the cowardly lion asked about in the Wizard of Oz). A conflict between the most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world could be entertaining — from a safe distance, say, the moon. Then there is this potential wrinkle: If Trump does exit stage left before 2029, then Vance become Prexy, and he’s backed by Peter Thiel, whose agenda is almost certainly not aligned with that of Musk. That would be another contest to watch from a safe distance, perhaps Mars. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/17/2292481/-Our-South-African-President?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/